The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe - Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply

¶ 01 Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 First, I express sorrow to all our people affected by this disaster and to our farming community whose livelihoods have been damaged. As a Government, we stand with them. While discussing the Vote of the Ministry of Agriculture, we as a Ministry and a Government have paid special attention to the irrigation sector. For 2026, we have allocated more than Rs. 77,000 million for irrigation. Funds are set aside for maintenance and rehabilitation of irrigation canals, and we are also commencing new irrigation projects.

¶ 03 We have begun constructing the Lower Malwathu Oya reservoir. In 2025, we allocated Rs. 3,000 million, and 68 work items are underway. For 2026, Rs. 5,000 million has been allocated to continue.

¶ 04 People of Batticaloa have long requested commencement of the Mundeni Aru reservoir project. We have initiated preliminary works, and Rs. 50 million from this Budget has been allocated to complete them. Additionally, as announced by the President in the Budget Speech, another Rs. 50 million was allocated for those preliminaries. Further, the Kivul Oya reservoir project in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya has Rs. 2,500 million allocated for 2026. We have also allocated Rs. 1,000 million for development of the southern bank of Maduru Oya. These are new projects.

¶ 05 We know agriculture cannot be developed by infrastructure alone. Canals must be built, new reservoirs created, and water conveyed to dry regions, but planning is essential. The lack of planned agriculture has hurt farmers, consumers, and the Government alike. For example, although we set guaranteed prices and strengthened the Paddy Marketing Board to establish a State presence, farmers’ income remains inadequate, and yield per acre is insufficient. Similar issues exist for onion and potato farmers.

¶ 06 Two issues are key: farmers lack assured prices and adequate income; as a country, production of essential crops is insufficient, forcing imports and outflow of dollars. This arises from the absence of planned agriculture. We must correct this and have begun foundational work. Planned agriculture requires: increasing production; and aligning crop calendars so we can fit in an additional crop and season. In irrigated lands, with assured water, yields are higher and management easier. We should therefore maximize additional crops and an extra season on paddy and irrigated lands.

¶ 07 A major impediment is failure to sow on the prescribed dates. Farmer organizations under the Department of Agrarian Development and Mahaweli Authority—over a thousand—plus irrigation management committees exist. District and Divisional Secretaries convene pre-season meetings. Decisions on sowing dates are then conveyed to farmer leaders and officers. However, adherence is weak, leading to missed environmental advantages—e.g., good October rains that nourish transplanted paddy if planting is completed by early November. Delays push Maha harvests late and then Yala sowing also shifts, eliminating time for an additional season. We are implementing measures to ensure the next Yala and Maha plantings occur on time.

¶ 08 Rice is our main crop; we do two seasons. If we increase paddy yields, we can introduce additional crops on those lands. Currently, average yield is around 80 bushels per acre. With improved fertilizer support and good Yala rains, yields rose, but we must push at least to 100 bushels per acre. We are rolling out a technical package to increase paddy yields and have launched work on 50,000 acres across 500 blocks this season, with intent to scale up.

¶ 09 We are also integrating agriculture, trade, and industry to stabilize markets. The Ministries of Agriculture, Industries, and Trade have begun a coordinated program. With the three Secretaries, three Ministers, and heads of agencies, we chose Anuradhapura District as the pilot. Under the District Secretary’s leadership, all relevant district agencies are preparing an integrated plan, with a review set for the 10th. Through this, farmers should receive better prices and incomes, and industry can develop. With the 2026 Budget, which reflects our forward vision, we believe these measures will yield success.

¶ 10 Thank you.