Make the country self sufficient with the resources of our own motherland, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa at today’s inauguration ceremony of the ‘Tharuna Govi Diriya – Isurubara Hata Davasai’; Farmers’ Week and Exhibition at the Hambantota Agriculture Garden.

The government has promptly carried out programmes to encourage farmers in order to build a self-sufficient country, providing them with facilities including financial assistance for fertilizer. I don’t think that farmers will forget that, he added.

Programmes were launched by the government to prevent food shortage and other issues arising from it. The country is now becoming self-sufficient with the ‘Api Vavamu–Rata Nagamu’ programme which was initiated to develop agriculture, the President said.

He noted that even though some people cut trees, they do not think of planting another tree. Thus Exhibitions like these will provide insight into the value of trees, he said.

We can’t be lethargic and say that we don’t have money for development. We didn’t give up the fight for peace saying that we don’t have money. We succeeded in achieving victory over terrorism, President Rajapaksa stated.