Sri Lanka : Maize imports to be curbed by half next year
Sri Lanka plans to cut maize imports to 150,000 metric tons next year from 300,000, aiming to save foreign exchange. Agriculture Secretary M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe said cultivation areas have expanded to boost domestic output, and a program is underway to produce seeds locally instead of relying on imports.
Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture – Mr. M.P.N.M Wickramasinghe says that they have been instructed to reduce maize imports to 150,000 metric tons next year.
He stated that Sri Lanka currently imports around 300,000 metric tons of maize annually and the reduction aims to curb the outflow of foreign exchange spent on maize imports.
Noting that they have increased the land used for maize cultivation this year to up the local production levels, Mr. Wickramasinghe has also said that a program is being planned to produce the necessary seeds locally instead of importing them.
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Source : Srilanka Mirror
