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10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Tuesday, 17 December 2024

10th Parliament· 15 debates· 315 speeches· 101 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1734685396083959 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  6. 6 Oral question Oral Question: Farmers' Pension Scheme Details (Q.77/2024) 7 speeches
    • The Hon. Rohana Bandara

      AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara asked for details on the purpose, benefits, promotion, funding sources and efficiency measures relating to the Farmers’ Pension Scheme and the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board. In a supplementary question, he congratulated the newly elected Speaker and then raised concerns about delays and uneven delivery of the fertilizer subsidy during the current cultivation season. He asked the Deputy Minister why the subsidy was being delayed and whether the Government would ensure full payment within the next few days.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock JJB

      AI summary Rs. 25,000 per hectare is being paid to farmers as a fertilizer subsidy, although the matter was raised outside the original question on farmers’ pensions. The Deputy Minister acknowledged delays in payments, said their causes had been identified, and stated that Rs. 2 billion had already been released with a further Rs. 1 billion due by Friday. He assured that all eligible farmers, including those cultivating more than the usual 800,000 hectares in the Maha season, would receive payments within the next few days and that delays would be addressed before the next season.

      AgriculturePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Rohana Bandara

      AI summary Rohana Bandara urged the Government to complete current-season disbursements before starting the next cycle and raised concerns about farmers affected by heavy rains and flooding. He said existing compensation provisions per acre are inadequate and that officials have not assessed many damaged fields, asking the Deputy Minister to amend relevant circulars or rules quickly to provide fair loss-based compensation and support replanting. He also sought a timeline for completing these measures.

      Public FinanceAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Rs. 25,000 per hectare is being paid as fertilizer support, while the crop-loss compensation framework introduced after the 2016 drought provides up to Rs. 100,000 per hectare for total losses in three stages. Namal Karunaratne said many farmers had not received dues in recent years, citing unpaid or partially paid obligations to potato farmers in Welimada, seed onion farmers in Matale, and outstanding amounts of Rs. 334.34 million in Ampara and Rs. 160 million in Monaragala. He assured that compensation for current crop losses would be paid and that compensation rates would be reviewed for possible revision.

      Public FinanceAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB

      AI summary Sajith Premadasa raised concerns about the collapse and ineffectiveness of the Farmers’ Pension Scheme, noting the scale of paddy cultivation and the number of farmers affected. He asked the Deputy Minister whether the Government would study international models from India, Brazil, South Korea, and China and implement a stronger pension scheme, referring to a promise in the Government’s policy statement to replace the current weak system.

      AgriculturePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne said the Government had considered international experience and developed measures suited to Sri Lankan agriculture, including expanding insurance coverage for all farmlands, ensuring timely compensation, and providing concessional credit to farmers and affected persons. He referred to the suspension of the farmers’ pension fund from August 2012 to January 2014 under the previous Government, noting that court action was needed to restore it and that unpaid pensions caused hardship. He said the current pension remains inadequate, with a Rs. 50 deduction, and that the Government would address these issues through a programme to protect and improve farmers’ welfare.

      Agriculture Full speech →