President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a meeting this morning (11) at the Presidential Secretariat to review projects implemented under the 2025 budget allocations for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, and to discuss pre-budget proposals for 2026.
According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the President held separate discussions with officials from each sector, issuing directives to expedite the resolution of state-owned land issues and to establish a comprehensive, sector-wide data management system.
In planning the upcoming budget, President Dissanayake emphasised the importance of prioritising sectors critical to reviving the national economy. He instructed officials to focus on initiatives that would enable agriculture, livestock, land and irrigation to make a greater contribution to economic growth, underscoring their role in eradicating rural poverty and integrating rural communities into the broader economy.
Highlighting the strategic potential of the livestock sector, the President announced that the 2026 budget would place special emphasis on transforming local dairy production and livestock farming into fully-fledged industries.
President Dissanayake also stressed that financial allocations alone were not enough, calling for stronger mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of projects reach the public effectively.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalakantha; Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne; Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation Dr. Susil Ranasinghe; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma; Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara; and senior ministry officials.
