Sitting of Friday, 11 July 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1753082553092748 ·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 Establishment of Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Tabling of Annual Reports - Ministers 5 speeches
- 3 Petitions Presentation of Petitions 7 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Questions - First Round 18 speeches
- 5 Procedural Points of Order and Standing Order 27(2) Questions 9 speeches
- 6 Debate US Tariff Duties - Member's Attention Matter and Discussion 20 speeches
- 7 Procedural Points of Order - Customs Container Matter and Questions of Privilege 65 speeches
- 8 Papers Presentation of Mediation (Civil and Commercial Disputes) Bill 2 speeches
- 9 Procedural Points of Order - Broadcasting and Warrant Matter 26 speeches
- 10 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 1: Co-operative Rural Banks Supervision 14 speeches
- 11 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 3: Livestock Sector Enhancement 18 speeches
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri moved a motion calling on the Government to prepare a programme to increase the livestock sector’s contribution to national production. He argued that developing dairy and poultry could reduce imports, save foreign exchange, improve child and maternal nutrition, and create rural employment and SME opportunities. He urged the Government to present concrete short-, medium-, and long-term plans with locations, targets, and timelines, while prosecuting corruption separately rather than relying on political recriminations.
- The Hon. Rohana Bandara
AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara seconded the motion and argued that the livestock sector can reduce unemployment and improve nutrition, but dairy farmers face setbacks from COVID-era disruptions, pricing issues, rejected milk collection, fodder shortages, and restrictions linked to protected areas. He called for coordination among Wildlife, Forest, and Livestock authorities to protect traditional dairy livelihoods, especially where grazing lands and animal recovery are affected by sanctuary boundaries, and cautioned that importing cattle without management support is ineffective. He also raised a local eviction issue affecting a dairy shed operator in Anuradhapura and proposed organizing kurakkan producers in the North Central Province into cooperatives to stabilize prices and prevent exploitation.
- The Hon. Sudath Balagalla JJB
AI summary Hon. Sudath Balagalla supported the motion while urging a scientific and practical approach to managing wildlife–livestock interactions, noting that cattle grazing in areas such as Maduru Oya can reduce elephant fodder and increase village incursions. He said State livestock farms, including Girandurukotte, should be revitalized through investment, expanded herds, processing facilities, smallholder sheds, and fodder plots. He also stated that MILCO had been returned to profitability within several months and called for implementation without political point-scoring.
- The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara supported the motion and raised concerns over a surplus in egg production, particularly affecting small poultry farmers in Kurunegala, with farm-gate prices falling to Rs. 20–22 despite production costs of around Rs. 32–35 per egg. He attributed the crisis to uncontrolled hatchery and breeder hen expansion and urged regulation of breeding, action on feed and input costs, and stabilization of farm-gate prices to prevent smallholders being displaced by larger operators. He also requested that kurakkan imports be avoided during local harvesting periods and that farmers receive at least Rs. 150–160 per kilogram.
- The Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj JJB
AI summary Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj supported the motion, noting that domestic milk production had fallen from about 81% of national needs before 1977 to around 40%, which he attributed to increased milk powder imports by multinational companies after 1977. He said the Government is taking national measures, including strengthening coordination through regional veterinary offices, to rebuild the dairy and livestock sector and move toward self-sufficiency.
Agriculture Full speech → - The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB
AI summary While supporting the motion, Ajith P. Perera urged the Government to prioritize an updated national elephant census, noting that the last census was conducted in 2011 and recorded 5,879 elephants, including 122 tuskers. He cited recent human–elephant conflict deaths among both people and elephants and requested accurate data on elephant numbers, sex ratios, district and reserve distribution, corridors, and movement patterns. He argued that such data is necessary for agriculture, tourism, conservation, and national planning.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilaganathan JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilaganathan stated that the livestock sector’s contribution to GDP has declined and identified feed scarcity, particularly grazing access for indigenous cattle in the dry zone, as a key constraint. He said 20,000 acres in Mullaitivu had been agreed in principle with the Forest Department for grazing, with similar steps planned in Vavuniya and Mannar, and proposed wet-zone grazing and dry-zone feed crop cultivation for commercial dairy. He also noted inadequate staffing at 337 veterinary stations and said Service Minutes were being prepared to strengthen veterinary cadres, while emphasizing the need to raise domestic milk production from about 40% to reduce imports and improve nutrition.
- The Hon. M.S. Abthul Wazeeth SLMC
AI summary Hon. M.S. Abthul Wazeeth highlighted the scale of livestock farming in Ampara District and the need for natural grazing lands to support animal nutrition and farmers’ livelihoods. He referred to stalled efforts to relocate grazing areas to Kumbukkottai near Rottai Kulam and noted that a site identified by the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat in 1993 has still not been formally declared. He called for the development and proper designation of grazing lands in the district.
Agriculture Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Government aims to increase daily milk production from about one million to three million litres through a dairy sector plan including value-addition centres in every veterinary range, starting in Anuradhapura in 2025, expanded farm targets, improved evening milk collection, cold-chain support, and better breeding stock through sexed semen imports rather than unsuitable cattle imports. He said Sri Lanka currently produces about 40 percent of its milk requirement and that a formal programme launch is planned for the 20th of the month. On poultry, he outlined measures to support egg and meat production by supplying concessional maize directly to small producers, promoting maize cultivation on fallow lands, setting fair purchase prices, and establishing State-backed parent stock farms to provide chicks at reduced prices while reducing intermediary influence. He also noted plans to strengthen goat breeding and referred to the impact of a severe viral outbreak on the swine industry and wild boar.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB
AI summary Namal Karunaratne indicated that he would conclude his remarks. No substantive policy point, proposal, or question was raised in this excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Chaminda Wijesiri thanked Members and the Deputy Minister for their responses to his motion on strengthening the livestock sector, emphasizing that the aim was to make underused systems productive rather than discard workers or institutions. He highlighted proposals raised during the debate, including resolving conflicts between wildlife zones and dairy farmers, making unprofitable livestock farms viable, addressing egg price increases despite surplus production, and creating mechanisms for domestic absorption and export. He also urged the Government to consider converting local liquid milk into powder to reduce import impacts on dairy farmers and to expedite recruitment of veterinary officers through the Department of Management Services.
Agriculture Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri urged the Government to address livestock-sector issues, including the shortage of veterinarians and pasture land, citing a proposal to recruit 82 veterinary doctors and concerns affecting dairy farmers in Ampara. He also called for current corruption investigations to proceed without political interference, warning that ministerial directives could undermine accountability, and urged action against wrongdoing both inside and outside the Government.
- 12 Debate Private Members' Motion No. 4: Making Every Youth Gainfully Employed 22 speeches
- 13 Adjournment Adjournment - Fishing Practices in Trincomalee and Parliamentary Decentralized Funds 12 speeches