The Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka
Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka criticized the Government for continuing to blame predecessors after a year in office and argued that its manifesto promise of a “contented farming life” has not been met. He said import timing for crops such as onions and potatoes undermines local farmers, and cited inconsistent official statements on paddy production costs, tabling National Farmers Union estimates ranging around Rs. 105–115 per kg. He questioned the adequacy of the Paddy Marketing Board’s 46,000 MT stock against a projected 2.4 million MT Yala 2024 output and said many medium millers cannot access the cited Rs. 5 billion credit line due to bank blacklisting. He called for a more effective mechanism to ensure the Yala harvest is purchased fairly, warning that farmers would be mobilized if the issue is neglected.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Government has been in power a year; it must deliver rather than keep blaming predecessors. The manifesto promised “a prosperous country, a beautiful life, and a contented farming life.” Our farmers are not content; meanwhile, farmers in India and Pakistan benefit when Sri Lanka imports during our harvest windows—onions during our onion harvest, potatoes during our potato harvest, etc.
¶ 02 The Agriculture Minister speaks candidly, but statements like “we are not committed to this or that crop” erode farmer confidence. Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne earlier said Red Naadu cost Rs. 76/kg, and a year before that said Rs. 154/kg to produce a kilo—these contradictions confuse farmers. The National Farmers Union estimates cost per kg at Rs. 105–115 on average: North Western 1 at Rs. 118, Polonnaruwa “B” zone Rs. 104, Rajanganaya Rs. 118, Walawa Rs. 110. I table that document.
¶ 03 You project Yala 2024 output at 2.4 million MT, yet PMB has only 46,000 MT—insufficient. Most medium millers are blacklisted by banks and cannot access the Rs. 5 billion credit line you cite. Create a more effective mechanism so Yala’s approximately 2.4 million MT is absorbed fairly. If you neglect your duty, we will mobilize farmers.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 10 September 2025 ·No. 1758017450079419 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 10 September 2025. No. 1758017450079419. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10787