The Hon. (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilakanathan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, Sri Lanka is an agricultural country; the majority in the North and East are farmers. About two million acres are under cultivation nationally; in the Vanni, roughly 200,000 acres are under paddy. For the Vanni, our Government provided Rs. 2,000 million in fertilizer subsidies for the Maha, and also subsidized the recent Yala over 67,000 acres. In Mullaitivu, paddy under wastewater-fed systems had not been subsidized in the past; under this Government, about 1,200 acres received support. This year, Rs. 4,000 million has been allocated to the Department of Irrigation for tanks and irrigation works in Mullaitivu.

¶ 02 Previously, per-hectare fertilizer support was Rs. 15,000; we have increased it to Rs. 25,000. For subsidiary crops on paddy lands during Yala, we provide Rs. 6,000 per acre. Farmers are now also buying tractors and inputs with ready cash, not only leasing.

¶ 03 We are reviving abandoned war-time lands and tanks. Under the Niththakai tank command (about 1,800 acres), paddy cultivation had lapsed; we are rehabilitating the tank and releasing lands currently under Forest Department control for cultivation. Mullaitivu has six major tanks; the Government will provide needed infrastructure. The Muththaiyankattu tank was rebuilt in 2015 with Rs. 485 million, but canals were not restored. Last week, during the President’s visit, I requested canal rehabilitation funds; he pledged support next year.

¶ 04 On livestock: from August 1, the purchase price for cow’s milk was increased by Rs. 10 per liter and for buffalo milk by Rs. 20, aiding farmers. Only 40 percent of milk demand is met domestically; we aim to expand production to reduce imports and conserve foreign exchange.

¶ 05 In the East, PMB warehouses in Ampara and Sammanthurai are full of paddy. In the North, warehouses damaged by past calamities are being refurbished to enable procurement and storage.

¶ 06 We are working to purchase and store paddy to meet people’s needs. Thank you.