The Hon. R.M. Jayawardhana

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, it is clear what the Hon. Leader of the Opposition thinks. He spent many years in governance and knows agriculture, but did nothing when farmers were in distress. Farmers have long suffered—big onion growers in Dambulla, potato farmers in Nuwara Eliya and Walimada protested for years. If problems had been solved then, this would not be the case. We are intervening now. In the last Maha, we purchased paddy at about Rs. 120 per kilo; in Yala too at about Rs. 120. We repaired all Sathosa paddy stores that had been closed during your time and procured a large quantity—around 500,000 metric tonnes—and are distributing it through Sathosa.

¶ 02 In this year’s Budget, we have provided solutions, including establishing cold-storage. Work has commenced on facilities abandoned since 2019. Through Economic Centres, we are purchasing and storing paddy. However, procurement must meet standards. For example, big onions arriving at markets spoil within two weeks. We have notified that produce must meet standards. From January, we will commence purchases at guaranteed prices for standard-compliant produce. The Paddy Research and Training Institute has informed us that the production cost of big onion is Rs. 98 per kilo; we started purchasing at Rs. 130 and have increased it to Rs. 145 for standard-compliant big onions, with a target of Rs. 150 next year. Do what you must in and out of the House, but our Government recognizes farmers’ issues and will resolve them with cold-storage, proper warehousing and structured procurement.