Sitting of Friday, 7 February 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739786070060795 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Announcements: Privilege Question on Non-Allocation of Speaking Time 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Ministerial Reports and Annual Reports 2 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions Tabled 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Answers to Questions and Second Round Questions 99 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: National Schools in Colombo North 2 speeches
- 6 Papers Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation 26 speeches
- 7 Procedural Procedural Motions on Standing Order Exemption and Time Amendment 8 speeches
- 8 Debate Private Members' Motion 1: Acquisition of Estate Roads to the Government 25 speeches
- 9 Debate Private Members' Motion 2: Proper Procurement Programme for Co-operatives 15 speeches
- 10 Debate Private Members' Motion 3: Making Arrangements for Maintaining a Rice Reserve 16 speeches
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Rohana Bandara
AI summary Rohana Bandara moved a Private Member’s Motion urging the Government to establish and maintain a public rice reserve to counter monopoly control in the rice market, stabilize prices, and reduce reliance on imports. He argued that farmer protection and consumer affordability must be balanced through a fair guaranteed paddy price, improved seed quality, regulation of agro-input prices and standards, and removal of taxes and duties on agricultural inputs and machinery. He proposed using revenue collected from rice import duties to create a Rs. 100 billion fund, managed jointly with institutions such as the Paddy Marketing Board, farmer organizations, SANASA, and the Consumer Affairs Authority, to finance paddy purchasing, storage, and market intervention on a continuous basis.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Chathura Galappaththi SJB
AI summary Hon. Chathura Galappaththi supported the proposal to maintain a government buffer stock of rice but argued that storing paddy alone is insufficient because emergency rice supply depends on milling capacity, which he said is limited and contributes to market concentration. He proposed that the Government maintain buffer stocks of milled rice as well as paddy, citing a 2012 pilot project near Veyangoda using mechanical aeration that reportedly stored rice for over 15 months at low cost. He said such a system would support national food security, bridge seasonal supply gaps, enable emergency access to rice, and help stabilize retail prices.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Susantha Kumara Nawarathna JJB
AI summary Hon. Susantha Kumara Nawarathna supported Hon. Rohana Bandara’s motion on paddy and rice sector issues, stating that the Government had already begun interventions after reviewing the decline in Paddy Marketing Board procurement and storage capacity. He said 166 stores had been refurbished, Treasury funds allocated for paddy purchases, and warehouses opened in key producing provinces, while abandoned facilities and mills were being restored to supply rice at subsidized prices. He also said the Government was addressing seed quality through local production and regulating substandard agrochemicals, and cited official estimates that current paddy prices generally covered production costs for farmers.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri supported Hon. Rohana Bandara’s motion as a potential means to curb the dominance of large rice millers, but questioned whether the Government had the capacity to implement it. He challenged inconsistent claims about paddy production costs and fertilizer subsidies, asking how costs could have fallen when inputs, machinery, and land preparation costs had increased. He called for a practical, time-bound plan for purchasing paddy, maintaining a rice buffer, and milling paddy into rice, arguing that concrete implementation would reduce miller dominance and build public confidence.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan ITAK
AI summary Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan supported Hon. Rohana Bandara’s Private Member’s Motion calling for the Government to maintain an official rice reserve and storage system. He argued that despite the East’s role as a major paddy-producing region, Sri Lanka continues to face shortages and imports, while private hoarding and profiteering affect poor consumers. He urged the Government to ensure fair prices, equitable distribution, prevention of shortages and price spikes, and proper storage standards to avoid spoilage and protect rice quality.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Upul Kithsiri JJB
AI summary Hon. Upul Kithsiri welcomed Hon. Rohana Bandara’s private member’s motion and said the Government was already taking steps to address paddy and rice price stability. He argued that current paddy prices reflect reduced production costs compared with 2021–2022, citing lower fertilizer and land preparation costs, and said prices were being set to balance farmer and consumer interests. He stated that the Government was strengthening SATOSA and cooperatives through a public-private programme to maintain rice reserves, including inspections of storage facilities such as the Ambilipitiya rice store, and aimed to prevent stock shortages and price instability.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Imran Maharoof SJB
AI summary Hon. Imran Maharoof supported the motion to establish a programme for maintaining Government rice stocks, while questioning whether current controlled rice prices benefit farmers, consumers, or intermediaries. He highlighted difficulties faced by farmers in the Eastern Province, particularly Trincomalee, including flood damage, inadequate drying facilities, damaged agricultural roads, and unrepaired tanks. He called for compensation, infrastructure repairs, tank rehabilitation, and broader programmes to protect and encourage farmers.
- The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development JJB
AI summary The Minister said the Government is implementing a programme to maintain rice availability and price stability through guaranteed paddy prices, state procurement, and market intervention via the Paddy Marketing Board, SATOSA, and cooperatives. He stated that Rs. 5 billion has been allocated to the PMB, with additional bank-backed financing including a planned Rs. 10 billion pledge loan for SATOSA, and that the Government aims to procure about 10 per cent of the season’s paddy, store it mainly as paddy, and mill and sell rice below market prices. He also outlined plans to use private and state mills, reopen storage and milling capacity, and increase Yala production to offset flood-related Maha shortfalls and prevent further market instability.
- The Hon. Rohana Bandara
AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara urged the Government to ensure paddy procurement prices are competitive with prevailing market rates, warning that otherwise farmers will sell to private traders and state purchasing efforts will fail. He proposed expediting Yala cultivation, considering an additional crop where possible, and providing prompt credit support to small millers through District Secretaries to strengthen procurement and supply. He also called for proper stock management and rotation of purchased rice to avoid past mismanagement, framing the motion as a cooperative effort to protect both farmers and consumers.
- 11 Debate Private Members' Motion 4: Appointment of Labour Welfare Officers 9 speeches
- 12 Debate Private Members' Motion 5: Abolishing the Pension Scheme of Members of Parliament 20 speeches
- 13 Debate Private Members' Motion 6: Select Committee to Investigate COVID-19 Cremation Decisions 14 speeches
- 14 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Sri Lanka Cricket Development and Anti-Corruption Measures 6 speeches