The Hon. Nalin Hewage - Deputy Minister of Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, nations develop by using their endowments—oil, gems, gold, or minerals. For Sri Lanka, agriculture must have a strong place. Yet the Opposition, who now weep for farmers, presided over agriculture’s decline. At Independence, agriculture contributed about 49% to GDP; after 76 years it is down to 7–8%. They cry now, but where did they take the sector?

¶ 02 On the levy increases—potatoes from Rs. 60 to 80; onions from Rs. 10 to 50—there is little sensible criticism. Instead, we hear a “lie of the week,” then a “lie of the day,” now “lies of the hour.” Hon. Chamal—sorry—Hon. Chathura/Chamara and others claimed we delayed, allowing large pre-levy arrivals. The Minister just read month-by-month official figures disproving this. Even the UNP General Secretary Hon. Ranjith Madduma Bandara misquoted potato figures; the Minister corrected with statistics.

¶ 03 We need a constructive Opposition for development—logical, intelligent critique—not easily disprovable claims.

¶ 04 Post-Covid, the world learned money alone cannot feed you; production matters. We must protect domestic farmers. Levies are one tool, but not the only one. While economies pursue comparative advantage, countries also intervene to shield domestic producers.

¶ 05 The Opposition Leader said neither farmers nor consumers benefit. He forgets the 2015 sugar levy scam under his administration. Our levies are to protect farmers. But we must also protect consumers; there are about 20,000 potato farmers and 7,000 onion farmers, but millions of consumers. Therefore, beyond levies we are working to reduce production costs—better seed, proper fertilizer, and technology—so farmers profit without overburdening consumers.

¶ 06 Note the Netherlands, with 41,000 sq. km to our 65,000 sq. km, exports US$136 billion in agri-food. We, with more land, import billions. Thus, technology, scale, and cost reduction are essential. We must move to larger-scale agriculture where unit costs are lower. The previous lot shut seed farms, brought poor-quality fertilizer, and the disastrous organic-only policy crippled agriculture. Our Government recognized farmers’ difficulties—bought paddy, rehabilitated stores, and restored fertilizer support—things missing before.

¶ 07 On excise arrears, Rs. 10.5 billion is due. Those who didn’t pay include names from past and present—many now in the Opposition. That is why they avoid this topic. We will collect.