The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I am providing answers to the question raised by Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan under Standing Order 27(2) on 09 July 2025.

¶ 02 First, whether the Government will impose import levies during the red onion harvesting season to protect farmers, and why such levies were not imposed over the past three years.

¶ 03 Sri Lanka’s annual red onion requirement is around 75,000 MT. Although in 2019 we produced more than 65% of requirements, production has now fallen to about one-third. In 2024, production was 29,966 MT—roughly one-third of requirements.

¶ 04 To protect local farmers, we have imposed a Special Commodity Levy (SCL) of Rs. 50 per kilogram on imported red onions. About 70% of our red onion production is in Jaffna District, 14% in Puttalam, and 16% in other districts. As to why levies were not imposed previously, that should be asked of those former governments. Under our current policy, the Rs. 50 specific import duty continues uninterrupted.

¶ 05 Second, due to continuous rainfall this year, farmers suffered losses in their investments and quality. Is there compensation, and is there an insurance mechanism?

¶ 06 There is an insurance mechanism for insured farmers, and compensation is paid through that. There is no system to compensate those who are not insured.

¶ 07 Third, regarding potato cultivation in Jaffna District and whether the Government has allocated funds.

¶ 08 Various assessments have been done by the Department of Agriculture, but investments in Jaffna potato cultivation are primarily by the private sector. Cultivation commences in November. By November 2025, arrangements are in place to provide suitable seed with a 50% subsidy to those farmers.

¶ 09 Fourth, about heavy metal content in imported big onions, alleged due to reduced pesticide use and other factors.

¶ 10 For local big onion production, only pesticides recommended by the Department of Agriculture are used; hence local big onions do not contain heavy metals. Imported big onions are tested by the Ministry of Health’s regulatory unit for suitability for human consumption, and further tests will be conducted where specifically necessary.