The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 INITIATION OF AN INSURANCE SCHEME FOR THE FARMING COMMUNITY

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, I move:

¶ 03 “As the welfare of a nation’s people is the responsibility of its government, this Parliament resolves that an insurance scheme should be established for the benefit of the farming community, which constitutes the majority of our citizens.”

¶ 04 We all live because of food. When we dine at home or pay for a meal at a hotel, it is possible only because farmers toil and sacrifice. Yet do we deliver justice to them? Farming is like gambling: after months of work—ploughing, sowing, tending—the farmer faces immense uncertainty even at harvest and sale. They labor without assurance of a fair return.

¶ 05 There is a crop-damage insurance now, but with large gaps. The free cover is only Rs. 40,000 per acre and applies only for total losses. Farmers can pay Rs. 6,400 additionally for cover up to Rs. 100,000—still for total loss only. It covers only limited crops, excluding many others. This must be updated and expanded.

¶ 06 Farming is hazardous: lightning strikes in fields, snakebites, accidents with harvesters and tractors cause injury and death. When hospitalized, a farmer and his family have no income support. Unlike salaried workers, they do not receive pay when absent. If they turn to wage labor, their own fields suffer.

¶ 07 They lack livelihood protection during illness or after fatal incidents; their dependants are unprotected; and in old age, they cannot continue heavy farm work. While a farmer pension scheme exists, only a small portion of farmers benefit.

¶ 08 We must: protect the crop, protect life, and safeguard retirement. Beyond insuring the crop, the period from harvest to sale until payment must be covered. We need a comprehensive, modern insurance scheme covering cultivation risks, life and disability, and retirement for all categories of farmers. I invite Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, Chief Opposition Whip, to second this.