The Hon. B. Ariyawansha

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, since morning both Government and Opposition have discussed the Votes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation. Rs. 208,722 million is allocated for 2025 and Rs. 225,000 million for 2026—large sums.

¶ 02 About 75 percent of our people are engaged across agriculture and allied sectors. Over the past year, farmers suffered injustices: while big onion, potato, and green gram farmers were readying harvests, imports arrived; vegetable growers could not get fair prices after months of effort and input costs. For example, in Embilipitiya, farmers receive Rs. 30 per kg for Ambul bananas and Rs. 90 for Kolikuttu, after a year of tending the plant, pest protection, and transport—yet consumers in Colombo pay around Rs. 130 per kg. Middlemen capture the margins. I urge the Agriculture and Trade Ministers to address this so farmers earn fair returns and consumers pay reasonable prices.

¶ 03 Successive governments—from D.S. and Dudley Senanayake, J.R. Jayewardene’s Mahaweli, to S.W.R.D. and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Maithripala Sirisena with Moragahakanda—built tanks and canals to strengthen agriculture and food security. You decry a “76-year curse,” yet these achievements occurred in that period. You have been in office a year, with four more to go; we expect major irrigation, canals, and market systems that truly enable farmers to sell produce.

¶ 04 Another issue: excessive chemicals in fruits—bananas and woodapple are artificially ripened or treated; fruits perish in two to three days, causing wastage. Likely only about 50 percent of production reaches consumption, at high consumer prices and with residues. Please act.

¶ 05 Exports such as minor crops—pepper—earn foreign exchange. Much Sri Lankan pepper now goes to India where oil is extracted; we lack a domestic pepper oil plant. I propose establishing such a plant in Sri Lanka to process locally, export oil, and secure higher farmgate prices. In Ratnapura—Kolonna, Godakawela, Balangoda—pepper is now maturing; by April, production peaks. A local oil plant would help maximize prices for farmers.

¶ 06 Paddy farmers also deserve justice. Grain stores were cleaned but now are closing. Wildlife damage—porcupines, monkeys—increasing again. A census was done, but little action followed. Substantial losses occur to fruit farms at critical times—pay compensation where appropriate and address wildlife management effectively.