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

Sitting of Thursday, 19 March 2026

10th Parliament· 16 debates· 162 speeches· 56 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23381 ·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.

  3. 3 Oral question Oral Question: Banana Cultivators in Ratnapura District: Issues (Q.1502/2025) 6 speeches
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the Agriculture Minister, the Deputy Minister stated that 1,987.2 hectares are under banana cultivation in the Ratnapura District, involving 3,019 families in Ambilipitiya and the Chandrika Wewa Division of the Mahaweli Walawa Special Area. He acknowledged that seasonal market gluts and fruit price fluctuations reduce banana farmers’ incomes. He said the Ministry and Mahaweli Authority are promoting exports, value-added production, concessional credit, and subsidies for wells, bunch covers, pumps, tissue-culture plants and ladders, with Rs. 18.62 million spent for 169 beneficiaries, while exporters currently pay about Rs. 150 per kilogram for quality Ambul bananas.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. B. Ariyawansha SJB

      AI summary B. Ariyawansha raised concerns that banana growers in Ambilipitiya, the Mahaweli and Walawa areas, and adjoining parts of Hambantota face severe price drops, sometimes as low as Rs. 20 per kilogram, leaving crops unharvested. He noted that exports have declined and asked the Deputy Minister whether a structured programme, including export support and cold storage facilities to manage gluts, would be implemented soon.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Namal Karunaratne JJB

      AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne reported on consultations with banana farmers and visits to key banana markets where unsold produce was being discarded, noting that Ambul prices remain volatile despite satisfactory prices for Kolikuttu and Seeni. He said the Government is formulating a plan to support banana farmers through export promotion with private-sector partnerships, small-scale value addition, credit facilitation, and a state-supported processing framework to improve farmer returns and generate foreign exchange.

      AgriculturePublic FinanceEmployment Full speech →
    • The Hon. B. Ariyawansha SJB

      AI summary Hon. B. Ariyawansha requested that fertilizer subsidies available to paddy farmers be extended to banana cultivators, citing the high cost of banana cultivation. He also raised concerns that shortages of petrol, diesel, and kerosene are affecting irrigation through agri-wells and disrupting transport and market access, with lorries not arriving from distant areas. He urged urgent measures to address these issues, particularly before the New Year.

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

      AI summary Hon. Namal Karunaratne stated that the fertiliser subsidy has been increased from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 50,000 for two hectares, while intercropped farmers on paddy lands are receiving Rs. 30,000 in fertiliser support. He said the Government will procure fertiliser stocks directly from companies and distribute them through Agrarian Service Centres and farmer organisations to avoid intermediaries, while investigations continue into past exports of urea, TSP and MOP. He also outlined simplified fuel certification and distribution procedures for farmers, assuring that fuel and fertiliser requirements would be met without unnecessary queues or added costs.

      Agriculture Full speech →