The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena said the country should be developed through supporting the agriculture sector, recalling what he described as the island's historic prosperity.
"When we consider about the historic foundation and the prosperous eras of this country, Sri Lanka can be built through an economy based on agriculture. To do it, we should help farmers to build up a better economic condition," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying.
"We should produce many import items within our country. The current government is giving priority for that," he added.
Sri Lanka is currently under pressure to enact reforms include tax reforms, increasing financial transparency and ending corruption.