The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for this opportunity.

¶ 02 First, on behalf of myself and all Members of the Opposition, I express condolences to those afflicted by this emergency. We understand many are dead or missing, though exact numbers are unclear.

¶ 03 As Hon. Ravi Karunanayake said, this is not a normal situation. Meteorological maps showed the entire country in red—this disaster affects all areas, some more severely than others. Yet we do not see how the Government is intervening under an emergency framework.

¶ 04 The greatest impact is on agriculture and paddy lands—across the central highlands (Nuwara Eliya’s potato and vegetable farmers), Kalpitiya, Puttalam, and the main paddy areas. In some places, fields sown a week or two ago were submerged for days; farmers will have to re-prepare and re-sow. In some places, applied fertilizer has been washed away; in others, sand has covered fields. The Agriculture Minister must act immediately to provide assistance, fertilizer again if needed, and required support.

¶ 05 We’ve spoken long about a “production economy,” yet after a year in office we do not see budgeted execution toward that. Crop damage by wildlife—monkeys, toque macaques, wild boar, even elephants—remains unresolved. Counting animals and relocating a few to islets has not solved it; genuine action is lacking.

¶ 06 On rice, the Deputy Minister said there is no rice problem. That is not true. Farmers did not receive adequate prices, and the Government that vowed to break the rice mill mafia ended up under it, importing rice despite saying not a single grain would be imported. It is easy to shout from platforms; implementing is different. Accept that divisive rhetoric of the past 76 years cannot solve today’s problems.

¶ 07 We have an export-oriented agriculture segment too, beyond staple crops. What concrete projects have you done to earn dollars through export agriculture? You have Mahaweli lands, NLDB lands, and other State lands, yet where are the projects?

¶ 08 You once spoke of collective farm markets. Show one such initiative made successful.

¶ 09 I also raise irrigation matters. Projects are lined up but slow—Lower Malwathu Oya still lacks foreign support; if not, fund it domestically. The North Western Canal Project (to bring water to our 68 systems) must be completed—Polpithigama side, Mee Oya, the rest. The Lower Uma Oya spurs intended to take water to Bimthanna, Wellassa are delayed far beyond schedule.

¶ 10 In the East, the Hada Oya development to channel more water to farmland is essential.

¶ 11 From ancient kings’ tanks to the DS and Dudley Senanayake-era major schemes, our irrigation achievements enabled rice self-sufficiency; though we still import at times, the progress is from those investments—not a “76-year curse.”

¶ 12 Protect the farmer. When potatoes are harvested, imports arrive; same with onions. Poor management forced closure of economic centers like Dambulla for the first time—farmers took to the streets. Next time, manage better. If Trade and Agriculture do not coordinate, onions and potatoes are imported at the wrong times, hurting farmers.

¶ 13 Minister, you try more than some colleagues; use your influence—tell others to stop harmful imports during harvests. Protect the farmer and advance agriculture.

¶ 14 Finally, increase Government intervention now in disaster management to restore paddy fields swiftly.

¶ 15 Thank you.