On Friday (April 26) in Colombo, Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), together with U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other senior government officials to discuss USDA support for Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector. 

Under Secretary Taylor’s visit underscored the American peoples’ ongoing commitment to supporting the agricultural development and economic growth of Sri Lanka, promoting greater food security and enhancing resilience against climate challenges.
On Friday, the Under Secretary’s discussions affirmed Sri Lanka’s key role as a priority country in the 2024 Food for Progress initiative, which focuses on enhancing food security and climate resilience through environmentally friendly practices and improved market linkages. A primary focus was the ongoing $27.5 million Market-Oriented Dairy Project which has helped improve milk productivity for over 15,000 dairy farmers in Sri Lanka, with many reporting doubling production thanks to the project.  USDA’s dairy project also seeks to help improve climate adaptivity among the dairy farmers by providing comprehensive training on cattle herding and feed consumption strategies that reduce unnecessary energy consumption. 

Additionally, since 2018 the USDA’s McGovern-Dole project implemented by Save the Children in partnership with the Ministry of Education has provided daily meals to close to 100,000 Sri Lankan primary schoolchildren throughout the country.  Building on this success, USDA embarked on a new five-year, $32.5 million project expansion to further boost school meal provisions across eight districts, including Badulla, Colombo, Kilinochchi, Monaragala, Mullaitivu, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, and Trincomalee. The project now aims to provide meals to close to 200,000 students covered under Sri Lanka’s national school meal program. 

The United States, through USDA support, is committed to enhancing food security in Sri Lanka as part of our broader goal to foster stability and prosperity. By investing in agricultural partnerships, we aim to empower local farmers, increase food production, and ensure a more secure future for all.

Pleased to welcome @USDA’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor to Sri Lanka. While she is here, Under Secretary Taylor will meet with government, civil society, and recipients of U.S. support through our school feeding and market oriented… pic.twitter.com/T7ziOMnJGH

— Ambassador Julie Chung (@USAmbSL) April 26, 2024

A number of decisions have been taken at the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (April 25).

The decisions taken by the Cabinet of Ministers are as follows : 

Former Army commander Sarath Fonseka told Parliament today (April 26) that the person  who had groomed the main Easter Sunday suicide bomber – Zahran Hashim, is the current head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Maj Gen (Rtd.) Suresh Salley.

Although Salley is currently trying to wash his hands off the matter, he cannot escape this, MP Fonseka said.

‘When I was there, I had removed Salley from the SIS. But he was made SIS head by Gotabaya after my departure. Then, Boniface Perera, who was Salley’s right hand man, was made the Eastern Commander. If he starts to slander me again, I will release this file to social media, which will portray what kind of man he truly is. Such people were in contact with Zahran and made him a hero,’ he said.

MP Fonseka also said that Salley had recently said that he wasn’t in the country when the attacks took place. He cannot escape the responsibility by saying he wasn’t in the country, not with the present technology available, the MP added.

He has also said that the process of identifying and nabbing a terrorist cannot be done through commissions and committees and it is the officers Intelligence services and the CID who have the relevant capacity and experience in such matters.

MP Fonseka further said that strict punishments should be given to those who were responsible for the Easter Sunday bombings and who evaded responsibility.

If we secure power, I am confident that the perpetrators can be brought to justice within a year, he further said.

Today is the final day of the three-day adjournment debate on the 2019 Easter attacks.

(Video : VoiceTube)