Sitting of Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23546 ·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 Opening: Message from the President - Public Security Proclamation 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Reports and Regulations Tabled 12 speeches
- 3 Committee report Committee Reports: Sectoral Oversight Committee Reports 4 speeches
- 4 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions (Four Petitions) 5 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question Q.1 (233/2024): Establishment of Provincial High Court for Western Province 7 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question Q.2 (361/2024): The Finance Company - Liquidation and Compensation to Depositors 6 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question Q.3 (467/2025): Tourist Arrivals from 2010 - Details 10 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question Q.4 (568/2025): Loans Obtained from State Banks by CEB 8 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question Q.5 (642/2025): Committees Investigated into Nationwide Power Failure on 09.02.2025 9 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question Q.6: Speaker's Personal Staff, Vehicles and Official Residence 17 speeches
- 11 Oral question Oral Questions Q.7-Q.9: Education Statistics, Aquaculture, CEB and SriLankan Airlines 13 speeches
- 12 Procedural Procedural: Points of Order and Privilege Question (Dayasiri Jayasekara) 15 speeches
- 13 Oral question Questions under Standing Order 27(2): Debt Service Payment and Central Bank 15 speeches
- 14 Procedural Procedural and Main Business: Adjournment Motion Request and Agriculture Statement 33 speeches
- 15 Debate Debate: Port City Economic Commission Regulations and Orders 49 speeches
- 16 Procedural Procedural: Adjournment Motion Introduction 16 speeches
- 17 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Failure to Report Foreign Debt Repayment Diversion to Parliament 127 speeches
- 18 Procedural Closing: Written Answers and Hansard Publication Information 5 speeches
- The Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha - Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation JJB
AI summary The Minister stated that no food production plan up to 2040 has been prepared, but a 2027–2029 plan exists for rice and additional food crops, alongside a 2025–2029 results framework and annual import-reduction forecasting. He outlined Rs. 2,000 million in 2026 Budget allocations for dairy development and breeding units, with a target of 75 per cent milk self-sufficiency by 2030, and proposed 2027–2030 mechanization initiatives including 200 machinery hubs, operator training, awareness programmes, technology promotion and field demonstrations. He said no specific year can yet be given for substantially eliminating imports of major food crops due to climatic, land, market and policy constraints, but import decisions are made annually using crop forecasts. Production data showed self-sufficiency or majority domestic supply in sesame, groundnuts, red onions, cowpea, green gram and finger millet, while maize, potatoes, big onions, soybeans and black gram remain more import-dependent.
Agriculture Full speech → - The Hon. Vijitha Herath - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism JJB
AI summary As of March 2026, 8,322 tourism service providers were registered with the SLTDA, while around 30,000 are estimated to be operating unregistered, though no comprehensive assessment has been conducted. The Minister stated that current law does not give SLTDA officers or the Tourist Police powers such as search, arrest, detention, or spot fines, and that inspections since September 2025 found 63 unregistered institutions, with legal action being prepared against some based on Attorney-General’s advice. He reported rising National Tourism Development Levy revenue from 2022 to 2025, 5,435 licensed tourist guides as at 31 March 2026, and said a new amended tourism law is being prepared to address shortcomings in the Tourism Act, No. 38 of 2005.
Foreign Affairs Full speech → - The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB
AI summary Minister K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna provided data on the coconut industry, noting its legal basis and reporting that production fell from 3,351 million nuts in 2022 to 2,806 million in 2025 due to climatic anomalies, insufficient fertilizer use, wildlife damage and pests. He outlined the estimated coconut cultivation extent of about 1.2 million acres, district-wise production patterns, yield gaps over the past five years, and Sri Lanka’s approximate fourth-place ranking among major coconut-producing countries. He also detailed recommended cultivation and moisture-conservation practices, and stated that coconut and coconut-based export earnings rose to Rs. 368.0 billion, or USD 1.22 billion, in 2025.
Agriculture Full speech → - Hon. K. V. Samantha Vidyaratna JJB
AI summary Hon. K. V. Samantha Vidyaratna presented data on Sri Lanka’s coconut industry, citing the legal framework governing the sector, trends in national production, district-wise acreage and yields, and Sri Lanka’s position as the fourth-largest coconut producer internationally. He noted that production fell from 3,351 million nuts in 2022 to 2,806 million in 2025, attributing the decline to climate change, inadequate fertilizer use, wildlife damage and pests. He also outlined Coconut Research Institute recommendations for mitigating drought impacts, including irrigation, mulching, seedling protection, pest monitoring and early treatment of diseases.
Agriculture Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural