The Hon. Lasith Bhashana Gamage

¶ 01 Hon. Chair, at this opportunity to speak on the expenditure head of the Ministry of Science and Technology under the Budget presented by our National People’s Power Government, I wish to say that the first instance where a truly scientific approach was initiated and operationalized was the appointment of this Cabinet. In recent history, this is the Cabinet most scientifically constituted. Moreover, for the first time in Sri Lankan history, the Ministry of Digital Economy—an institution suited to contemporary needs—has been established. This Ministry has been set up to drive the Government’s new digitalization agenda, providing the necessary support to other Ministries.

¶ 02 Our country does not have abundant resources, but we have a strong human resource. Those who governed the country for so long failed to manage this human resource with vision—where to take the economy, through which sectors, what human resource is needed, and what education to provide them. We talk of STEM education; but how many students should be recruited, and for which needs? There is no plan. We must plan for 15, 20, even 50 years ahead—identify the sectors that will drive the economy, manage human resources across Ministries, with Science and Technology and the Ministry of Digital Economy providing infrastructure and services to all.

¶ 03 As Hon. Ravi Karunanayake also said, we must bring technology into agriculture. I believe that if a food crisis were to arise, it would be because our youth are rapidly leaving agriculture. Why? Because outdated agricultural practices persist and technology has not reached our villages. Youth do not want to work with old methods. While we speak of blockchain and robotics, we have yet to bring the basic necessary technologies—drones, irrigation technology, fertilizer technology, nano-fertilizers—properly to farmers. Sri Lanka is 65,000 square kilometres; the Netherlands, only 41,000 square kilometres, has about 4.8 per cent of its workforce in agriculture but contributes around 6 per cent to GDP from agriculture. In Sri Lanka, with 27 per cent engaged in agriculture, the contribution is about 7.4 per cent. We are underperforming. We must raise this sector with technology, train Vidatha centre officers, roll out strong programmes to take technology to SMEs, youth and women, and move swiftly and systematically.