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

Sitting of Tuesday, 21 October 2025

10th Parliament· 24 debates· 209 speeches· 62 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 22635 ·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.

  10. 10 Oral question Oral Question 7: Safeguard of Interests of Farmers, Traders and Consumers 9 speeches
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody JJB

      AI summary Ruwanthilaka Jayakody asked the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation whether the Government accepts that farmers face high production costs and inadequate returns, while consumers pay high prices and intermediaries earn excessive profits. He sought confirmation that the existing marketing system should be changed and asked whether a policy or course of action will be formulated to protect the interests of farmers, traders and consumers.

      AgricultureCost of Living Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Farmers’ living conditions and profitability were acknowledged as priorities in a reply on behalf of the Agriculture Minister, citing 2023/24 Maha cost-of-production and net-profit data for paddy, potato, onions and chillies. The reply stated that recent food prices had stabilized after sharp increases during the economic crisis, with detailed CPI data tabled in the Library. It also noted that market intermediaries provide logistics and employment but said the Ministry is implementing measures to improve productivity, seeds, technology, cooperatives, cold storage, packing centres, infrastructure and lower-intermediary marketing channels.

      AgricultureCost of Living Full speech →
    • The Hon. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Namal Karunaratne stated that measures will be taken to promote value chains that reduce post-harvest losses. He said the necessary facilities would be provided and related networks strengthened to support this objective.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody JJB

      AI summary Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody raised a supplementary question on sharp agricultural price volatility, citing green chilli prices falling from about Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 80 per kilogram within months. He asked whether a mechanism exists to stabilize prices in a way that protects both consumers during price increases and farmers during price declines.

      Cost of LivingAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne said farmer market problems cannot be resolved all at once and require time, as the President had noted at the “Sahal Mangalyaya.” He stated that the Government has already responded to paddy farmers and is intervening in the procurement of groundnuts, big onions, potatoes, and manioc, with private sector participation where relevant. He added that the Government is addressing these issues sequentially, including through value addition and coordination with other ministries.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody JJB

      AI summary Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody asked whether the Government could implement demand-based crop planning to address production volatility in agriculture. He noted that when farmers shift en masse to a profitable crop in the following season, oversupply can result in gluts and price crashes.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne said the Government is moving toward cultivation planning based on domestic demand and resource requirements, while seeking higher yields from smaller land areas to reduce production costs. He stated that increased output must be matched with value addition, agro-processing, preservation, and by-product development, through a coordinated programme involving the Ministries of Agriculture, Trade, Finance, Science and Technology, and Industries. He said the objective is to lower farmer costs, provide consumers with quality goods at lower prices, ensure fair prices for farmers, and support all actors in the agricultural supply chain.

      Agriculture Full speech →