The Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, along with the members of the Food Policy and Security Committee, convened for the second time at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting highlighted the crucial need for a robust data system to inform policy decisions related to ensuring food security.
The primary aim of the Food Policy and Security Committee is to implement measures that align with the government’s objective of ensuring a safe, healthy, and sustainable food system for all citizens.
A key point emphasized during the discussion was the importance of accurate data and information in making informed decisions regarding food security. The government made it clear that it would no longer take risks by making policy decisions without reliable data, stressing that developing a precise data and information system would be given high priority.
Particular attention was also focused on ensuring a steady supply of essential food items during the Sinhala and Hindu New Year period, as well as efforts to maintain stable prices for these items.
The purchase of paddy was thoroughly discussed, with a focus on the progress of paddy acquisition under the credit facilities provided to mill owners. The committee also examined the expansion of the cooperative and Sathosa networks to ensure the availability of essential commodities to consumers at subsidized prices. Furthermore, steps to create a consumer-friendly market through price controls were addressed.
Minister Samarasinghe instructed committee members to study the food consumption patterns of the population and to take necessary measures to promote a healthy population while preventing food waste.
Several key issues were discussed, including the establishment of a national food security policy framework, maintaining an essential food information system, managing food security, food prices, and markets. Additionally, the committee focused on creating a new program based on internationally accepted criteria and developing strategies to increase and distribute local products using scientific evidence.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister’s Secretary G.P. Saputhanthree, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, and other members of the Food Policy and Security Committee, which comprises ministerial secretaries.
