Army efforts, launched in order to promote self-sufficiency in rice across the country and food security among troops to be in line with the multifaceted ‘Thuru Mithuru-Nawa Ratak’ crop-cultivation and afforestation project of the Commander of the Army resulted in the production of ample paddy stocks through Army farms of the Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock and the distribution of rice among Army troops at subsidized rates.
Paddy harvests of the ‘Maha-2019’ and ‘Yala-2020’ seasons, collected from newly-dug Sri Jayawardenepura paddy fields, adjoining the Army HQ and from other Army farms elsewhere included organically-produced local varieties like, ‘suwandel’, ‘kaluheeneti’, etc and those species were grown with minimal use of pesticides and chemicals only deemed essential.
Toxic chemicals free rice stocks, produced in this manner as instructed by the Commander of the Army in Army farms were thus delivered for sale to Army welfare stalls, managed by the Security Force HQ-East, Regimental HQs at Panagoda Army Cantonment and Army Seva Vanitha Unit-managed welfare shops at Kendalanda, Manning Town, Rukmalgama, Panaluwa, Jawatte and Wattala.
On the eve of the Army Day on Friday (9), Brigadier Indrajith Kandanaarachchi, Director, Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock took steps to deliver a stock of 25,000 kgs of Army-produced rice to the Army Seva Vanitha Unit (ASVU) at the HQ for distribution among ASVU-run Army welfare shops under the supervision of Mrs Sujeewa Nelson, President, ASVU.
Lieutenant Colonel Nishantha Muttanthirige, Commanding Officer, 6 (V) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps at Kandakadu on behalf of the Director Agriculture and Livestock handed over the stock to Colonel Sumeda Balasuriya and Colonel Aruna Wijekoon of the ASVU office on Friday (9) for sale to Army troops at subsidized rates at ASVU’s welfare shops .
