The Hon. Namal Karunaratne
Namal Karunaratne disputed the Opposition Leader’s claim that 300,000 metric tons of maize were imported, stating that imports were 253,000 metric tons last year and are projected at 67,000 metric tons this year. He clarified that maize grown as fodder for dairy is a separate green-biomass cultivation from grain production. He said minimum prices are set using scientific costing by the Task Force, HARTI and farmer organisations with a 30 percent margin, and that the Government is promoting 13 crops to reduce imports.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Leader of the Opposition, the claim of 300,000 MT imports is incorrect; last year it was 253,000 MT, and this year we project 67,000 MT. Also, there is a distinction: maize cultivated as fodder (for dairy) is harvested as green biomass — a separate cultivation from grain production. Regarding prices, our minimum price is based on scientific costing by the Task Force, HARTI and farmer organisations, with a 30% margin — same approach as for paddy. We are promoting 13 crops to reduce imports, and we are progressing well toward that goal.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Tuesday, 23 September 2025 ·No. 1758876121024768 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/15542
Cite as: The Hon. Namal Karunaratne. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 23 September 2025. No. 1758876121024768. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/15542