Sitting of Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Order of business

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

1. 1 Opening Parliament Opening and Stage Play Announcement 1 speeches ▸
2. 2 Papers Presentation of Reports and Petitions 7 speeches ▸
3. 3 Oral question Oral Question: Ceylon Electricity Board Restructuring (Q.1/2025) 7 speeches ▸
4. 4 Oral question Oral Question: Investigations into Assassinations, Abductions or Assaults of Journalists Since 2010 (Q.2/2025) 7 speeches ▸
5. 5 Oral question Oral Question: Post of Public Health Midwife - Vacancies (Q.3/2025) 9 speeches ▸
6. 6 Oral question Oral Question: Warehouses of Paddy Marketing Board in Ampara District (Q.8/2025) 8 speeches ▾
   • Mr. Speaker procedural
     Full speech →
   • The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe SLMC

     AI summary Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe asked the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to provide detailed information on paddy cultivation and state purchasing in the Ampara District. He requested figures on total paddy land, Yala harvests for 2024 and 2025, quantities bought by the Paddy Marketing Board, the number and addresses of PMB warehouses, and which of them have paddy dryer machines.

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

     AI summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, responding on behalf of the Minister, provided data on paddy cultivation and Paddy Marketing Board activity in Ampara District. He stated that the district has 98,531.3769 hectares of paddy land, with Yala harvests rising from 232,709 metric tons in 2024 to 265,774 metric tons in 2025, while PMB purchases increased from 119.6 metric tons to 23,660 metric tons. He also listed 28 PMB warehouses in the district and confirmed that none is equipped with paddy dryer machines.

     Agriculture Full speech →
   • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

     AI summary Namal Karunaratne stated that when the Government assumed responsibility for the paddy stores, purchases had stopped and facilities were damaged, with stores affected by wildlife and rice mill machinery and drying-yard fittings removed or sold as scrap. He said the Government is restoring the stores and related operations, and is planning to install paddy dryers where possible in the future.

     Agriculture Full speech →
   • The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe SLMC

     AI summary Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe asked about the condition and future use of Paddy Marketing Board facilities in Ampara District that were damaged or neglected due to the war. He specifically referred to a former large-scale rice mill on State land in Navithanveli, once economically significant, and asked whether steps would be taken to re-establish it on the remaining land and whether it is included among the 28 warehouses identified by the Deputy Minister.

     Agriculture Full speech →
   • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

     AI summary Namal Karunaratne stated that 28 warehouses exist in the Ampara District and that farmers delivered paddy to 27 of them during the Yala season. He said the Government has information on the specific warehouse raised by the Member, noting that many warehouses have been temporarily repaired while some require permanent restoration, and undertook to give special attention to the issue.

     InfrastructureAgriculture Full speech →
   • The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe SLMC

     AI summary Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe requested special provision in the 2026 Budget to supply paddy dryers to warehouses in the Ampara District. He said the district frequently experiences flooding, affecting farmers’ ability to dry paddy, and asked whether the Deputy Minister would allocate funds for this purpose.

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

     AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne said the Government faces practical constraints in purchasing paddy at threshing floors, including a shortage of suitable vehicles and the lack of provisions to accept wet paddy. He stated that paddy must be dried to about 14 percent moisture and that proposals have been called to provide the necessary equipment, with paddy dryers expected to be installed by the next season. He added that Ampara, which produces over 20 percent of national paddy output, would be prioritized based on local conditions.

     Agriculture Full speech →
7. 7 Oral question Oral Question: 100,000 Kilometres Alternative Roads Programme in Kalutara District (Q.9/2025) 5 speeches ▸
8. 8 Oral question Oral Question: Fish Death in Beira Lake (Q.10/2025) 2 speeches ▸
9. 9 Oral question Oral Question: Oil Palm Cultivation and Imports (Q.11/2025) 2 speeches ▸
10. 10 Oral question Oral Question: Q.7/2025 - Deferred Answer 3 speeches ▸
11. 11 Oral question Oral Question: Mannar Water Supply Project (Standing Order 27(2)) 5 speeches ▸
12. 12 Papers Ministerial Statements: Poverty Alleviation and Industry Development 7 speeches ▸
13. 13 Debate Ministerial Statement and Debate: Power Generation Policy (Minister of Energy) 46 speeches ▸
14. 14 Papers Ministerial Statements: Flood Relief and Defence Updates 4 speeches ▸
15. 15 Procedural Procedural Motions: Exemptions and Sitting Hours 2 speeches ▸
16. 16 Debate Debate: Rules under Excise Ordinance and Special Commodity Levy Order (Session 1) 11 speeches ▸
17. 17 Debate Debate: Rules under Excise Ordinance and Special Commodity Levy Order (Session 2) 64 speeches ▸
18. 18 Procedural Procedural Motion: Approval of Rules and Order 1 speeches ▸
19. 19 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Promote Early Detection of Breast Cancer 21 speeches ▸
20. 20 Procedural Parliament Adjourned 1 speeches ▸