The Hon. Imran Maharoof
Hon. Imran Maharoof supported the motion to establish a programme for maintaining Government rice stocks, while questioning whether current controlled rice prices benefit farmers, consumers, or intermediaries. He highlighted difficulties faced by farmers in the Eastern Province, particularly Trincomalee, including flood damage, inadequate drying facilities, damaged agricultural roads, and unrepaired tanks. He called for compensation, infrastructure repairs, tank rehabilitation, and broader programmes to protect and encourage farmers.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, Hon. Rohana Bandara’s motion to prepare a programme to maintain Government rice stocks is commendable.
¶ 02 We must consider whether current actions benefit or hurt farmers. Controlled prices have been set: Rs. 120 per kg for Nadu, Rs. 125 for Samba, and Rs. 132 for Keeri Samba. Do these benefit farmers, buyers, or intermediaries?
¶ 03 In the Eastern Province, especially Trincomalee which I represent, farmers are repeatedly affected—recent floods damaged fields. We need to ensure compensation and safeguards when agriculture is hit. Farmers also lack adequate drying space. Agricultural roads used to take paddy to warehouses are damaged, increasing difficulty and costs. We need a programme to repair these roads.
¶ 04 Many tanks in farming areas require rehabilitation; this would yield multiple benefits and allow additional cropping seasons. We must fix these sectoral shortcomings and create programmes that encourage and benefit farmers. Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 7 February 2025 ·No. 1739786070060795 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Imran Maharoof. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 February 2025. No. 1739786070060795. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/23159