The Ambassador of the United States of America H.E Julie J Chung met trade minister Hon. Nalin Fernando (12^th) at the trade ministry premises today.

The ambassador said that currently, Sri Lanka is in the way of economic progress reforms and a market-oriented economy and emphasized the importance of enhancing food security in the country. She also stated that to slash the food price increase and to adapt to the inflation, Sri Lanka needs to diversify the market.

The hon minister stated that currently, the trade Ministry focuses mainly on decreasing the cost of production, minimizing post-harvest wastage, and enhancing the quality of production which are the main pillars of food security. He also added Sri Lanka seeks assistance with new technology to improve production and assistance for SME sector productivity improvement.

The ambassador added that the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and aid programs like the Melinda Gates Foundation USA are willing to assist Sri Lanka further in the fields of Climate change, agriculture productivity, and digital economy.

Secretary of the Ministry of Trade Commerce and Food Security Mr.A.M.P.M.B Athapaththu and Other Officials participated in the discussion.