The Hon. Namal Karunaratne
Namal Karunaratne acknowledged concerns about paddy released to millers through Government Agents, noting current shortages of both stocks and cash and alleging fraud by some parties. He said the law should be applied equally amid investigations into irregular releases, while highlighting that small millers faced tougher and costlier access to credit compared with large millers. He stated that steps are being taken to address this imbalance and prevent market cornering by larger millers.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 In general, I accept your point. In your district and in Trincomalee and Puttalam, through Government Agents much paddy was released to millers; yet now stocks and cash are scarce. Some have acted fraudulently; the law must apply equally. Some millers have been caught up amid probes into irregular mill releases. Small millers faced greater lending hurdles and higher interest, while large millers received funds earlier and cheaper, cornering the market. We are taking steps to correct this imbalance and will continue until the system is set right.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Saturday, 15 November 2025 ·No. 22870 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/28983
Cite as: The Hon. Namal Karunaratne. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 15 November 2025. No. 22870. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/28983