Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday was presented the country's first-ever green apple harvest as the country looks to strengthen its agricultural sector amid a food shortage.

The President's Media Division said in a statement that farmer M.P. Lakshman Kumara had cultivated the green apples on two acres of land from Thambuttegama in the North Central Province and handed over his maiden harvest to the president in Colombo.

During their talks, Kumara told the president that the apple seeds were imported and following proper testing, he had initiated the apple cultivation.

The farmer said it is possible to produce and provide the seeds needed to popularize this cultivation, and that these seeds had been produced in a manner that they could be cultivated in any part of Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, 70 percent of the 21 million population live in non-urban areas, and agriculture provides a livelihood for approximately 40 percent of them.

The government has encouraged farmers to cultivate and produce more local fruits and vegetables in order to strengthen the export market, which will benefit the local economy. 

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