There is no other province in Sri Lanka as resource-rich as the Northern Province. Yet, two districts in our province are among those most affected by poverty. Changing this contradiction is my dream. During the 1970s, when a closed economic policy prevailed, the Northern Province was at the peak of economic prosperity. In the current open economic environment, if we are to once again reach that lofty position, a direct export-oriented economy is the only path available to us, stated the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan.
This was stated while addressing the event organized by Chrysalis to celebrate the achievements of the research workshop and the Agri-Business Field School project titled “Creating Opportunities: From Learning to Income”, which focused on sustainability and resilience through women-led backyard poultry farming. The event was held in Kilinochchi.
The Governor made these remarks while delivering the keynote address as the Chief Guest at the event held on Wednesday morning 28 January 2026, at the auditorium of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna, located in the Kilinochchi Science City.
He further stated:
Since the current government assumed office, a conducive environment has been created for exporting our products to foreign markets. We are creating opportunities for our small-scale industrialists, farmers, and livestock breeders to export their products directly overseas without intermediaries. Plans are underway to operationalize this very soon from Jaffna.
Agricultural and marine products from the North are currently being sent out merely as raw materials. We lack factories to convert these into value-added products locally and export them. To address this shortcoming, the government has declared three investment zones in the Northern Province.
The encouragement of sectors such as black gram, groundnut, and poultry farming through the Chrysalis organization is commendable. Today, in the market, there is higher demand for our traditional village eggs than for commercial farm eggs. Therefore, such self-employment initiatives will strengthen our economy.
In the past, there was a clear divide between the University of Jaffna and the wider community. However, the establishment of the Faculties of Agriculture and Engineering in Kilinochchi has reduced that gap and fostered a sense of integration with the community. In the future, we will implement projects by linking the Faculty of Agriculture with government and non-governmental organizations.
Climate change has now become a major challenge for us. Water amounting to twice the capacity of the Iranamadu Tank flows into the sea. We must understand this change. As such unpredictable climatic conditions are expected to continue in the future, we must adapt and reform our agricultural practices accordingly, he said.
The event was attended by Kilinochchi District Secretary S. Muralitharan, staff of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Jaffna, officials from the Chrysalis organization, government officials, and beneficiaries.
