District Agriculture Training Centre open at Palamuna

A District Agriculture Training Centre constructed at Palamunai in the Addalaichenai DS Division was ceremonially declared open on Monday, September 3rd.

The Centre, which was built at a cost of Rs. 7 million provided by the European Union through the UNDP, is very well equipped and includes a demonstration plot consisting of one acre of land. It will cater to the needs of 60,000 farmers in improving their agricultural abilities in the Tamil speaking areas of the coastal belt.

The Ambassador of the European Union in Sri Lanka, Julian Wilson, participated as chief guest at this ceremony and declared the Training Centre open by cutting the ribbon following the hoisting of the National Flag. Government Agent Sunil Kannangara, Deputy Director of Agriculture P.T. Nimal Dayaratna, Assistant Director of Agriculture R.M. Latheef, as well as Agricultural Officers and Instructors also participated.Ambassador Wilson expressed his happiness to complete such a worthy project in this area where farmers are in the majority and appealed to them to make the maximum benefit out of the Centre. “We love Sri Lanka, and hence the people of European Union showed their kind generosity by voluntarily giving their financial assistance to uplift the standard of the common masses in the eastern part of Sri Lanka”, the Ambassador said. He further revealed that a large sum of money has been set apart for development projects in various sectors in Ampara District.

The UNDP’s Ampara Officer in Charge Z.A. Joufer, EU Coordinator Kiran Kothari, and many other representatives from interested INGOs attended the ceremonies. Also present in large numbers were the coastal area farmers wishing to express their gratitude to the EU and UNDP in implementing this project successfully and helping to solve some of their long-standing problems.