The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, I thank the Hon. Minister for the reply.

¶ 02 Mr. Speaker, we have discussed sugar at length in recent times. The Hon. Minister said there are 23,000 metric tons of sugar available. According to the charts we have, 2,000 metric tons of that stock have already expired.

¶ 03 The balance stock has also been in storage for over a year now. Generally, sugar can be stored for about two years. The main reason for this situation is that after you took over this institution, the previously established distribution channels were changed and a new system was introduced to follow a certain work order. Due to that, or some other reason, sugar sales and prices have both fallen. The institution is incurring losses as a result. Sales and prices of molasses have also dropped, further causing losses. My question is this.

¶ 04 Hon. Minister, on the one hand you aim to increase sugar production. On the other hand, sugar imports are not properly regulated in the country. Even with molasses, we should import only in quantities we can use domestically. Likewise, when importing white sugar, our domestic production must be considered. Imports should be aligned so that space is preserved for domestic production to enter the market. Because this has not been properly regulated, today there are unsold sugar stocks in your warehouses, and there is no network to sell them. The new system you introduced is jammed and stuck. As per current information, around 2,000 metric tons of sugar have expired. What intervention will the Government undertake to rapidly dispose of the existing stock? Have you recognized this crisis? Because of the losses arising from this, there is no money today to compensate the farmer, to pay the stipulated price, or to implement measures for their welfare.

¶ 05 To be frank, there is a crisis in the Pelwatte and Sevanagala sugar factories. I wish to know what measures you will take to resolve this crisis.