10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. B. Ariyawansha

Samagi Jana Balawegaya· Ratnapura· 19 March 2026 ·Oral question: Oral Question: Banana Cultivators in Ratnapura District: Issues (Q.1502/2025)

Agriculture
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B. Ariyawansha raised concerns that banana growers in Ambilipitiya, the Mahaweli and Walawa areas, and adjoining parts of Hambantota face severe price drops, sometimes as low as Rs. 20 per kilogram, leaving crops unharvested. He noted that exports have declined and asked the Deputy Minister whether a structured programme, including export support and cold storage facilities to manage gluts, would be implemented soon.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Minister, in Ambilipitiya (Mahaweli and Walawa areas) and adjoining Hambantota District areas like Hambegamuwa, many banana growers suffer due to low prices. At times, prices fell to Rs. 20 per kg, and farmers could not harvest. Prices rise somewhat before the Sinhala New Year, but for much of the year Ambul, Seeni, and Kolikuttu fetch Rs. 50-70 per kg. Exports that happened earlier are now limited; there is no structured programme to support exports or cold storage for gluts. Will you implement a proper programme soon?

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Thursday, 19 March 2026 ·No. 23381 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Page · column
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Permalink
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Cite as: The Hon. B. Ariyawansha. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 March 2026. No. 23381. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/30083