10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. Anton Jayakody

Jathika Jana balawegaya· Puttalam· 17 March 2025 ·Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage Debate on Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Ministry of Environment

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Hon. Anton Jayakody argued that economic planning should be linked with environmental policy, citing demand for Sri Lankan Albizia timber used for cricket bats in South Asia. He referred to the Budget allocation of Rs. 1,000 million for Forest Department reforestation, including Rs. 400 million for timber plantations, and proposed promoting Albizia planting around estates to ensure future supply and market continuity.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Please allow one more minute, Hon. Deputy Chairperson.

¶ 02 We must link economy with environment. South Asia has a great cricket craze and there is strong demand for cricket bats; Albizia timber from Sri Lanka is in demand. This Budget allocates Rs. 1,000 million to the Forest Department for reforestation; Rs. 400 million will go to timber plantations. We plan to promote Albizia planting around estates to meet future demand as supplies dwindle in coming years and to secure market continuity.

¶ 03 Hon. Deputy Chairperson

¶ 04 Your allotted time is over.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Monday, 17 March 2025 ·No. 1745486934006324 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Anton Jayakody. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 17 March 2025. No. 1745486934006324. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/12776