The Hon. (Ms.) Ambika Samivel
Hon. (Ms.) Ambika Samivel raised concerns about the floriculture sector in Badulla District, citing staff shortages in areas such as Welimada, Haputale, Diyatalawa and Bandarawela, where only 39 of 79 required workers are in place and research capacity is limited to two researchers. She asked whether there is a recruitment plan to fill these gaps and whether support mechanisms can include growers who are retirees or government employees, who she said are often excluded from assistance.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I thank the Hon. Minister. My first supplementary:
¶ 02 Badulla District—particularly Welimada, Haputale, Diyatalawa, and Bandarawela—has strong potential for floriculture. However, there are staff shortages: where 79 workers are needed, only 39 are present; eight are on contract; only two researchers handle research. Is there a recruitment plan to address these gaps?
¶ 03 Also, growers include retirees and those in government service. They often do not receive assistance because of their employment status or retirement. Is there a mechanism to ensure they too receive support?
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 ·No. 23111 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/17510
Cite as: The Hon. (Ms.) Ambika Samivel. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 6 January 2026. No. 23111. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/17510