The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, this is a timely motion by Hon. Kins Nelson. The co-operative network is deeply rooted at the grassroots and was once popular and effective—providing goods and uniting people in community welfare. Today, however, politicization has undermined many societies; some still function well, others run at a loss or have closed, leaving creditors unpaid.

¶ 02 Co-ops can provide goods at concessionary prices and deliver a wide range of services; they can mobilize funds and channel them into local investments. Hon. Kins Nelson’s focus is on the procurement process. Supermarket chains gain large profits through bulk purchases and bargaining power; the co-op network, which is even more extensive at ground level, can be integrated with Sathosa for imports and bulk procurement. With proper digitization and oversight by accountable boards at divisional level, government could ensure supply at lower prices and build strong local business capacity.

¶ 03 In Anuradhapura, for example, we revived the Horowpothana co-op, but lack capital and facilities to expand. I request the Minister’s attention. Co-ops can also directly purchase paddy at the field, using small local stores, if provided working capital—addressing moisture issues by allowing staged drying and storage at co-op level. Once paddy purchase is fixed, the next challenge is rice supply. Big mills buy at higher prices; while some middle-class consumers choose branded rice, the poorest cannot. Earlier, families stored paddy and milled as needed; that is gone. If co-op rice mills are revived, affordable, standard rice can reach villages. I suggest piloting a regulatory programme from Anuradhapura itself. We stand ready to support. Thank you.

¶ 04 Question proposed.