Sri Lanka, Sept. 22 -- Chairman of the Farmers' National Agricultural Federation, Anuradha Tennakoon criticised the government for failing to implement programmes to strengthen the country's agricultural production economy, despite being in power for a year.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Tennakoon said the continued imports of food items such as onions, potatoes and garlic-crops that can be successfully grown locally, is leaving farmers helpless and harming the local economy.

He alleged that 96% of the country's onion requirement is imported and accused the government of not establishing proper programmes to support local onion cultivation in recent months.

"The country was self-sufficient in onions 10 to 15 years ago. It is the gover...