Sitting of Friday, 14 March 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1744281136023320 ·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 Parliament Opening and Speaker's Announcements 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Tabling of Annual Reports 5 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Questions and Answers 40 speeches
- 5 Debate Ministerial Statements 4 speeches
- 6 Debate Appropriation Bill 2025: Committee Stage - Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure (Heads 135, 293, 337) 110 speeches
- 7 Papers Annual Reports under Companies Act (Elkaduwa Plantation Limited) 2 speeches
- 8 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Control of Potato Imports During Harvesting Season 11 speeches
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake moved an Adjournment Motion urging the Government to protect upcountry potato farmers during the March harvesting season in areas such as Badulla and Nuwara Eliya. He said high seed, chemical, fertilizer and labour costs, reduced yields, and import competition have left farmers without the relief given in past seasons. He requested the Ministry of Trade to either suspend potato imports for several months or impose a substantial import levy, while maintaining fair prices for consumers.
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda SLPP
AI summary Chanaka Madugoda briefly indicated support for the Motion before the House by formally seconding it.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Dinindu Saman
AI summary Hon. Dinindu Saman supported the proposal while arguing that such measures should be brought before problems emerge. He stated that the current Government had imposed a Rs. 60 per kg levy on imported potatoes since October 2024, describing it as the highest in five years, and contrasted this with levy changes in 2021 which he said benefited import lobbies rather than farmers. He cited past import dependence and declining domestic production, and said the Government is addressing the issue through technology, fair input prices, and soil and moisture conservation to improve yields.
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Upali Samarasingha - Deputy Minister of Co-operative Development JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister responded on behalf of the absent Minister to concerns raised about potato farmers in Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, noting that Jaffna is also a significant cultivation area. He said the Government seeks to balance protection of domestic producers with fair prices and quality food for consumers, within a production-based economic policy and annual planning with relevant ministries and the private sector. He stated that because national consumption is about 200,000 MT while 2019 domestic production was 101,642 MT, imports remain necessary, but measures are needed to protect local producers during harvest periods.
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake urged the Government to protect upcountry farmers during the harvest period by temporarily adjusting import taxes or pausing imports for one to two months. He disputed claims that farmers are receiving Rs. 280 per kilogram, stating that the price at Keppetipola is around Rs. 230, and called for immediate seasonal levies rather than references to past governments.
- The Hon. Upali Samarasingha JJB
AI summary Upali Samarasingha said domestic production shortfalls must be addressed through imports where necessary, while protecting farmers and ensuring consumers receive quality goods at fair prices. He noted that domestic supply had fallen from about 50% in 2019 to around 20% over the past four to five years, attributing the decline to administrative failures, and emphasized the need to manage the situation as the March harvest begins.
- Mr. Speaker procedural