Multi-dimensional approach to lift status of rural sector: Praja Shakthi program in context

Currently, one in every six individuals in Sri Lanka suffers from multidimensional poverty, with 95.3% of this population residing in rural and estate areas.

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The continued existence of this condition negatively impacts the country's economic and productive potential. This initiative seeks to address the situation by strengthening social protection and strategically targeting vulnerable groups through a structured and inclusive national social welfare system

— President's Office, Presidential Secretariat

THE status of the rural sector in Sri Lanka needs to be considered in context of its size, its population demography, its economic and social status, its accessibility to health and education services, its contribution to food and environment security of the entire country, and more broadly, the equity and equality of its population in comparison to their urban counterparts. In a country that has a rural population of around 80-82%, it must follow that a substantial component of the total land area of the country (64,000 square kilometres) may be classified as rural and agricultural.

The International Trade Administration ITAF says in an article published in May 2024 that "agriculture sector contributes about 7 percent to the national GDP, out of which the fisheries sector contributes around 1.3 percent, and the livestock sector accounts for 0.9 percent. Over 30 percent of Sri Lankans are employed in the agricultural sector. Although Sri Lanka is a fertile tropical land with the potential for the cultivation and processing of a variety of crops, issues such as productivity and profitability hamper the growth of the sector- (https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/sri-lanka-agricultural-sector)