The Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha

¶ 01 No, nothing of that sort. There is a discussion. We have requested that the institution continue to have responsibilities for some time.

¶ 02 Also under us is Mahaweli Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd. Altogether, about 20 institutions and 10 departments are there. This is a Ministry with a vast mandate, Mr. Chairman. Yet we repeatedly discuss only a very small fraction of these. Budget allocations relate to all of them. Therefore, if both Government and Opposition focus on this comprehensively, we can make the Budget debate much more constructive.

¶ 03 Since the topic of fertilizer subsidy has arisen, I must specifically address it. Everyone knows successful implementation requires effective functioning of farmer organizations and responsible, efficient participation by farmers.

¶ 04 Farmers and farmer organizations have a duty to attend meetings convened by the Krushi Paryeshana ha Nirmana Sahakara (KRuPaniSa) officers—Agricultural Research and Production Assistants—and provide accurate data on time. After the seasonal planning meeting, the officer calls the farmers. Regrettably, sometimes only 50–60 percent attend; significant numbers do not. They fail to provide timely, accurate data—acreage cultivated, holdings, even account numbers are sometimes given incorrectly. The officer records what is provided; if numbers are wrong, payments for fertilizer support cannot be properly made. Therefore, farmers must attend on time and provide correct information to the KRuPaniSa officers. Those who do so receive funds without issue.

¶ 05 Hon. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, you will know that in Monaragala officials sometimes had to go house to house to obtain signatures and account numbers. There are around 4,000 vacancies among KRuPaniSa officers. It is our responsibility to find solutions; we have accepted that and are acting. To fulfill these responsibilities properly, I emphasize again to farmers as well. Often we are used to—