North Central Province Chief Minister Bertie Premalal Dissanayake said that with the development of 68 dams in the Anuradhapura district in the past two years, steps have been taken to cultivate ten thousand additional acres of land to boost local food production.

He said that 8,000 acres have been cultivated with maize. "We have targeted a stock of produce worth around Rs. 4.8 million. This district is one of the main paddy producing areas in the country. We have begun to produce chillies and kurahang as well".

The Chief Minister was speaking to a group of journalists on a three- day field visit to the district. The tour included visits to the newly constructed Kidney Dialysis and Transplant Centre and the new administration unit which is being constructed with Rs. 400 million plus aid from the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JAICA). Both units are affiliated to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. The Administrative wing will also house wards and clinics.

The Ministry of Nation Building had provided over six million rupees for a housing project for 35 Telingu gypsy families in the Siyambalagaswewa village. They had been provided with 27 houses. Minister of Nation Building, H. M. Chandrasena said the families had been living in tents earlier. Several of their children had died of snake bites owing to this reason.  This had prompted them to seek assistance from higher authorities.

 Many of them are snake charmers who also own monkeys. Many men in the Telingu village also earn their livelihood by fishing in the nearby dam. There are also many palm readers among these folk, he said.

 Sixty-year-old Muniyamma who moved into one of the newly constructed houses used to earn her living through palm reading. She has two sons and three daughters who take care of her. Looking at her, one is able to see the hardships that she has been through in a village situated in the interior of the district. She and her husband have now been forced beg to make ends meet.

 Construction work of the houses began almost two years ago. However, many of them don’t have a proper roof or floor to make life a little more comfortable for these desperately poor people.

 The journalists also visited a milk producing village in Kulundewa, Rajanganaya. The project is conducted under the Samurdhi program. There are 70 families involved in this particular Samurdhi program. Villagers A. A. Chandralata and H. M. Wijeratne also benefited from this initiative. They were given 60,000 rupees Samurdhi aid to buy two cows. The couple purchased three more with a loan from the Samurdhi Bank. 

 They are able to earn around 12,000 rupees per month – and this is their only livelihood. ‘Milko’ purchases the produce while a milk centre run by Chandralatha has also been established to sell milk products of the 70 families living in the area. They are able to get at least 200 to 250 litres of milk per day.

 "The biggest problem we have is the need for a field in which the cattle could graze. At present, we have been forced to tie the cattle here and there. The amount of grass they have to feed on is also less these days which in turn affects the produce," Wijeratne complained. 

 The other development projects visited included a Samurdhi trade centre in Galkulama, a professional training centre in Anuradhapura and the new bus stand.