The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock

Jathika Jana balawegaya· Kurunegala· 8 January 2025 ·Procedural: Procedural Matters and Standing Order 27(2) Question on Prevention of Terrorism Act

Public FinanceAgriculture

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Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne provided paddy production figures for 2015-2024 and a provisional 2025 Maha forecast, noting annual totals ranging from 2.383 million metric tons in 2017 to 5.149 million metric tons in 2021. He detailed Paddy Marketing Board purchases as a share of production, stating that government purchases were very low in recent years, including no Maha 2023 purchases, 2,153 MT in Yala 2023, 2,637 MT in Maha 2024, and 119 MT in Yala 2024. He said Sri Lanka has no fixed year-round paddy price, and that the PMB intervenes through seasonal guaranteed minimum prices, buffer stocks for food security, and rice releases through Sathosa and co-operatives during periods of price increases.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, I will answer.

¶ 02 a) (i) Paddy production from 2015 to 2024 (million metric tons)

¶ 03 Maha season / Yala season / Total: 2015: 2.877 / 1.942 / 4.819 2016: 2.903 / 1.517 / 4.421 2017: 1.474 / 0.909 / 2.383 2018: 2.397 / 1.513 / 3.910 2019: 3.073 / 1.468 / 4.540 2020: 3.197 / 1.924 / 5.120 2021: 3.061 / 2.088 / 5.149 2022: 1.931 / 1.462 / 3.392 2023: 2.696 / 1.817 / 4.513 2024*: 2.631 / 2.024 / 4.655 2025*: Maha forecast 2.309 * 2024 Yala – provisional; 2024/25 Maha – provisional based on sown area as of mid-December.

¶ 04 (ii) Paddy purchased by the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) as a percentage of production:

¶ 05 Maha / Yala (PMB purchase; %): 2015: 148,375 MT (5.16%) / 175,266 MT (9.03%) 2016: 131,981 MT (4.55%) / 25,447 MT (1.68%) 2017: — / — 2018: 4,605 MT (0.19%) / 2,081 MT (0.14%) 2019: 48,271 MT (1.57%) / — 2020: 25,868 MT (0.81%) / 3,391 MT (0.18%) 2021: 45,089 MT (1.47%) / 7,377 MT (0.35%) 2022: 4,498 MT (0.23%) / 7,082 MT (0.48%) 2023: — / 2,153 MT (0.12%) 2024: 2,637 MT (0.10%) / 119 MT (0.01%)

¶ 06 Notably, the Government did not purchase Maha 2023 paddy; 2,153 MT were purchased in Yala 2023. In Maha 2024, 2,637 MT were purchased; in Yala 2024, 119 MT—a very small volume. Over the last two years, total Government purchases are around 5,000 MT, which is entangled with the broader discussion on the rice issue.

¶ 07 (iii) There is no fixed paddy price year-round in Sri Lanka; prices fluctuate. To minimize adverse impacts on farmers and consumers, the PMB intervenes as follows: 1. Based on production cost surveys by the Department of Agriculture, a guaranteed minimum purchase price is declared by the Ministry/Department each season, and PMB purchases islandwide to stabilize prices. 2. Maintain a buffer stock to prevent rice shortages due to natural or other causes and to ensure food security. 3. As rice prices typically rise from October to December each year, release PMB rice through Sathosa and Co-operatives to stabilize prices.

¶ 08 (b) Not applicable.

Provenance

Source: Hansard, Wednesday, 8 January 2025 ·No. 1737023464031571 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 January 2025. No. 1737023464031571. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/27573