COLOMBO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka must start agricultural modernization in 2023 to feed its growing population and become a net exporter of food, the President's Media Division (PMD) said on Wednesday.
Wickremesinghe made the statement at a meeting of the Multi-Sector Combined Committee to ensure food security and nutrition.
He said agriculture can earn foreign exchange by enhancing production and competitiveness through the modernization of agriculture.
"By the end of 2023, we should get the modernization program going in full swing. We should earn foreign exchange from agriculture. By 2050, our population will be 25 million. This might be a problem if we don't modernize agriculture," he said.
Wickremesinghe added that the growing populations, not only in Sri Lanka but globally, present many opportunities.
