The Hon. (Mrs.) Deepthi Wasalage

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, during this debate on the 2026 Expenditure Head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, I wish to speak about Rattota electorate in Matale District, which I represent. At present many people there are effectively in lockdown, unable to travel anywhere, in a very distressing situation. I must go to Matale; I asked to speak briefly for that reason.

¶ 02 Hon. Minister, my electorate has many issues related to your Ministry. In Rattota, people tell me they have lived for over 20 years in houses they built but do not know whose land they occupy—is it 130 (state land), an estate, or the Divisional Secretary? When they seek title, they do not know the authority to approach. Many Ministers have represented Rattota here, but these issues remain unresolved.

¶ 03 Since the State Minister for Housing is present, I must mention: People in areas adjacent to estates say housing loans of around Rs. 800 per month have been deducted for years, but the amounts have not been remitted by the estates to the National Housing Development Authority. The Matale NHDA Manager says nearly Rs. 30 million is outstanding. Many MPs and Ministers from Matale have served, but no one has solved this.

¶ 04 In 2015 under the good governance Government, a housing project started in Kataraamtenna/Medawatta area of Matale. It was abandoned half-built. Around 50 beneficiaries live in partially built houses in dire conditions. Then-Opposition who were in Government failed to resolve it; now they lecture us. We are intervening to solve those problems. Out of those 50 houses, only about 8 have sanitary facilities. People tell us all these issues.

¶ 05 Rattota is frequently affected by natural disasters. Therefore, beyond land matters, I wish to raise a timely subject: the “Dumbara Green Empowerment Project” under your Ministry. I think it began years ago, but we did not see active implementation on the ground until after our Government took office in 2024. Under the Green Climate Fund (GCF), USD 39.77 million is available, and the Irrigation Ministry has provided USD 9.2 million. Using these funds, we have now started many active projects.

¶ 06 If we are repeatedly hit by disasters, talking only about cultivation is insufficient. If disasters destroy crops, livelihoods will suffer. The project aims to protect the Knuckles sensitive ecosystem, a world heritage site. Many of our country’s irrigation headwaters originate in the Knuckles range, and about two million people in the basins around Knuckles depend on farming.

¶ 07 Due to global lifestyle changes, GHGs and temperatures have risen, causing frequent extreme rain and winds worldwide. To shield our country and empower hill-country communities’ livelihoods, the GCF “Dumbara Green Empowerment” project is in operation. In 2025 alone, in Matale District we initiated many projects with allocations close to Rs. 300 million.

¶ 08 To strengthen poor livelihoods, we started an industry producing paper from the invasive Alimahana plant. This file cover I have is made by people in Matale using Alimahana. Our Ministry has allocated Rs. 2,400 million in 2025 for this project, and a total of Rs. 3,250 million this year for implementing Dumbara Green activities. We are also supporting home-garden development for tea smallholders and farmers in sloping areas—targeting 3,000 households. We aim to make this successful, building resilience to natural disasters and climate, providing productive livelihoods.

¶ 09 Our aim is to defeat poverty and build a prosperous country. We pledge to use this program effectively to give our people a better life. Thank you.