Hon. Ranna Gamaga

¶ 01 The Bundala salt pans are filling with water. Generally, we produce salt in two seasons. One is from February to April, the Yala season. The other is from June to October, the Maha season. Usually, production in Yala is lower. With rains in May, when the pans fill with water, the salt industry is disrupted. Since 2020, rainfall in our country has gradually increased. In the Hambantota District, it exceeded 300 millimeters per month, consistently. That’s the problem that arose. It’s not a big mystery. Even if Hon. Namal Rajapaksa visits Hambantota, he wouldn’t know this. Is he here now? I don’t know if he’s coming or going. He popped in here, shouted and left. We know very clearly that increased rainfall affected the salt pans. What happened after that disruption? Salt production fell. Because production dropped, in December our Government forecasted the need to import salt. So we imported salt accordingly. That was correct—we had estimates and a plan, and executed it. We did not let the country fall into a crisis.

¶ 02 The Opposition kept shouting about various things—first rice, then salt. Now they’re looking around for something new because those “cases” are over. Our Government has provided clear solutions. Moreover, our Ministry of Industries is working to restart the Alimankada (Elephant Pass) Salt Factory, which their governments had shut down. We have a clear plan to build a production economy, include the people in it, and distribute its benefits fairly. If the price of salt per kilo had increased earlier, now it has come down. The short-term measures we took have yielded results for the people within a short time.

¶ 03 Hon. Presiding Member, these regulations have been implemented correctly according to the needs of the time. Because of proper implementation, the public benefitted. Yes, prices went up for a time due to lower domestic output and heightened competition among producers; price control wasn’t feasible then. But it was short-lived, and prices came down thereafter. The country is now on the right path. The President and our Government have set a new course with clear development targets.

¶ 04 Tourism is a key area. We have organized to achieve targeted, higher revenue this year. Across all sectors, the country is moving forward, ensuring that benefits from a production economy reach people fairly. Everyone should contribute. Regarding the fisheries sector I represent, we have travelled across the districts, identified people’s practical and local issues, and sought solutions. Parliament is one platform; another is the State budgetary allocations executed across sectors. Yet there are ground-level practical problems. Our Ministers now go to the villages, with a plan to resolve these issues.

¶ 05 There are 14 fisheries districts across the island. Northern and Eastern Hon. Members were involved too. We have only three districts left to visit. We convened District Fisheries Coordinating Committees. Unlike in the past, through the present Government we can resolve local issues clearly with central support, directly engaging where necessary, coordinating with Provincial Councils and Secretaries, and putting in place structures to address administrative bottlenecks. If we can resolve these, we believe we can steer the country to the proper place.

¶ 06 Hon. Presiding Member, the Cabinet has taken correct decisions under these regulations, enabling relief to the public. In that context, I conclude by expressing appreciation to the Ministry of Industries and especially to our Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development. Thank you very much.