The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 If given before the rains, good. Thank you for the answer.

¶ 02 Regarding seedlings: roughly 3 million plants are produced annually by CRI and the private sector combined. If we can release 10 million seedlings per year, we will see real progress and yields. Under the Yahapalana Government, we spoke of a second coconut triangle in the North, but we must build the necessary ecosystem. I understand fertilizer will be provided to smallholders with plots under five acres — that is good because most coconut is in home gardens, not large estates. Yet home gardens often don’t get fertilizer; their owners only think of self-consumption, and yields are lowest in home gardens. Supplying fertilizer there is valuable. New varieties and technologies must be supported; CRI must be strengthened with resources and technology. The Philippines and Indonesia achieve higher yields thanks to planned programs over 5, 15, and 20 years.

¶ 03 Please also focus on lands around the Kantale Sugar Factory; around 250–300 farmer families use these lands temporarily, not for settlement. Ensure fairness to traditional users when reallocating.

¶ 04 Unrelated to this Ministry but raised earlier: regarding the Batalanda report — we condemn those events, but we must also remember why such phenomena arose in 1988–89, when around 60,000 people were killed amid terror. Justice must be even-handed, not one-sided. Many innocent officials, clergy, doctors, headmasters, police officers, and soldiers were murdered. Let any investigation be broad, beyond Batalanda alone, to ascertain the full truth.

¶ 05 Lastly, when we were students, tea, coconut, and rubber were key revenue streams. President J.R. Jayewardene’s open economy added tourism, apparel, and foreign remittances to surpass these, but our main export crops still matter. We established the “Ceylon Spices” brand then. Our upcountry railway, built for tea, now drives tourism. We must also not forget the plantation community who came here 200 years ago and lived in line rooms. Through this Ministry, please help them move beyond line-room life and uplift their living standards.