The Hon. (Prof.) L.M. Abeywickrama

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I express sorrow for loss of life and property due to adverse weather. Some disasters we have brought upon ourselves. In Matara, large areas of farmland are flooded and homes damaged because a salinity barrier was built across the Nilwala Ganga in an unscientific, inappropriate location, preventing river discharge to sea and backing up water in the lower reaches. In 2023, during its construction, lower-reach farmers could not cultivate; estimates for compensation exceeded Rs. 1.2 billion, which the previous Government did not pay. Our 2026 Budget provides for this, and also allocates funds to remedy the salinity barrier impacts—laying the groundwork to prevent recurrence. We thank the Government on behalf of Matara people.

¶ 02 Some Opposition critiques focused on fertilizer and high prices. Let us remember who banned chemical fertilizer and forced people into concoctions, wrecking agriculture. Private investors retreated; by 2019 there had been momentum—protected agriculture and new investments—which was then shattered, leaving much uncultivated land. Our first Budget prioritized agriculture to restore infrastructure and bring fallow lands back. Through the Department of Irrigation and the Department of Agrarian Development, we enabled cultivation, boosting production last season.

¶ 03 They also claim we lack a policy. In fact, professionals and experts across universities, research institutes, and Government collaborated to frame a long-term agricultural plan before we took office; we are implementing it—aiming to utilize every cultivable plot to contribute to national income, harness rural labour, deploy technology to reduce unit costs, and increase yields. Other countries—Vietnam, Israel, the Netherlands—advanced by technology; India’s unit costs for potatoes and onions are a fraction of ours. Our goal is not to raise prices but to cut costs through technology and scientific inputs, thereby raising farmer margins. Despite setbacks, we are confident of turning agriculture around in the near term.