The Hon. Namal Karunaratne - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, at this moment the country is in disaster. Some of our citizens have suffered, some have lost lives; crops are damaged; houses destroyed. We express our sorrow.

¶ 02 We have listened to the debate on the Agriculture Ministry’s Estimates since this morning. Many points were made—some commendable suggestions, some criticisms, and some distortions. We take them all into account.

¶ 03 I believe we have addressed the paddy farmer’s issues to a significant degree in the last two seasons. During those two seasons, paddy farmers did not take to the streets, did not protest, did not complain they could not sell. Recently we met all the paddy farmer leaders in Sri Lanka with Hon. Minister Lal Kantha, Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, myself, our Secretary, and relevant officials including from the Presidential Secretariat. Those farmer leaders expressed satisfaction with the prevailing paddy prices. We also convened meetings with farmer leaders from all 25 districts; they told the media they were satisfied with paddy prices. Therefore, it is clear we took certain measures—setting a minimum price instead of a guaranteed price, opening closed stores, starting procurement, and other interventions—to resolve paddy farmer issues.

¶ 04 Usually, around this time, the public discourse is about rice price spikes and hoarding; consumer authorities and media focus on it; a “rice mafia” is alleged from October to late January. But today, during this debate on Agriculture, no one raised rice; no criticism came. Why? Because the problem is not there. Prices have reduced; red rice is around Rs. 100 a kilo; no shortages; Keeri Samba is available; prices are fair; issues have eased.

¶ 05 Yesterday, Mr. Nishantha Attanayake, Chairman of a small/medium rice millers’ association and also the UNP organizer for Ududumbara, told me—not as a politician but as a miller leader with decades of experience and dealings with farmer organizations—that for the first time in his memory, the rice mafia has been halted and there is no rice problem today; your Government has managed to ease it.

¶ 06 Rice is our main crop; paddy farmers number over 800,000; rice is our staple. We have given a successful response there. Next to rice are vegetables; among them potato curry and onion for taste. We could not resolve big onion and potato issues as quickly as rice—we accept that—but we are resolving them methodically. Onion was much discussed recently. In 2023, big onion production was only about 6,900 MT—less than 7,000 MT. Now production is close to 60,000 MT—an eight- to nine-fold increase. We thank the farmers; the Government intervened with purchases and support, though there were issues which are now being resolved.

¶ 07 For potatoes too, we will not allow problems next season; likewise for big onion. Finger millet didn’t face big issues; problems arose among intermediaries purchasing finger millet; we will not allow issues for finger millet farmers either. Guided by the President, we have a plan with the farmers to resolve these.

¶ 08 Harvesting of early crops has started. Potato prices to farmers will be around Rs. 250–300 per kg with safeguards; big onion farmers are also protected; please cultivate more without fear.

¶ 09 It was said that 10% of farmers have left and harvests are down. That is false. We stopped mungbean imports and became self-sufficient; in Hambantota alone about 20,000 acres were cultivated in mung; likewise elsewhere. We must sustain this and expand next year. We have moved forward in big onion, potato, cowpea, sesame and other crops—not backward. For paddy too, in the recent Yala we recorded the highest paddy harvest in recent history. Ask any farmer—yields were high. We have taken steps forward.

¶ 10 We also saved NLDB and Milco which were slated for sale. For Milco, 5 factories and 92 collection centres and properties were to be sold; the Badalgama factory loan exceeded the intended sale price. We struggled to save it. Milco farmers had dues—one farmer alone had Rs. 500,000 due; Ranchrich’s Mr. Ratnayake had Rs. 200,000 due; many others owed—these have been systematically settled; milk production has doubled; nearly Rs. 10 crore is set aside to distribute as dividends to dairy farmers; staff are getting incentives. We have come this far.

¶ 11 NLDB too, once claimed loss-making to justify sale, has progressed. Over 1,500 acres of finger millet were cultivated where previously not even an acre was done. We will increase it next year along with many other programs.

¶ 12 I thank our Ministry Secretary, Additional Secretaries, Chairpersons, Directors, Commissioners General and officers. Many are even now in the Ministry premises and galleries; district officers too, with shortages—vehicles old, computers not working; especially nearly 4,000 KPN officer vacancies. We will resolve these shortfalls step by step and move further ahead.

¶ 13 I must remind the Opposition: they weep for farmers now—potatoes and onions. In Welimada, Uva Paranagama, Boralanda, Moragaswewa, Keppetipola and other places, your Government took potatoes from farmers promising Rs. 95/kg for 2,044,000 kg and did not pay a cent. We had to protest and even storm the Ministry to get a portion paid; crores remain unpaid.

¶ 14 On big onion, in Dambulla, Kimbissa and Dehahuwa, your Government took seed onions from farmers promising Rs. 9,000 per unit and paid nothing. We engaged Ministers P. Harrison, then Vidura Wickramanayake, and Aluwihare; we marched and protested across Dambulla; those innocent seed-onion farmers were not paid even five cents. Those who pauperized farmers now shed crocodile tears.

¶ 15 In Palutawa seed-onion village, when a farmer takes a Rs. 200,000 bank loan, about Rs. 16,000 is deducted for crop insurance; yet compensation was not paid. We protested from Palutawa and called the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board; only through struggle were payments made. When we took office, Yala season compensations were unpaid; we paid them and proceeded.

¶ 16 The Leader of the Opposition said Rs. 150 was demanded per 8 kg (bushel). He himself once said production fell 36% after the fertilizer ban; with fertilizer at Rs. 40,000 a bag then, cost per bushel exceeded Rs. 150. That was the context we referred to. Please do not distort. We will certainly take agriculture forward with our officers despite challenges, working collectively to overcome. Thank you.