The Hon. T.K. Jayasundara

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development affects a vast segment of people—from the village turmeric pounder to the motor car manufacturer. I am pleased to speak briefly on such a ministry.

¶ 02 I recall the late Kumaratunga Munidasa. In the 1920s he wrote a verse: “A nation that does not create new things will not rise—the hungry will cling where they cannot eat.” Applying this to our current context, he foresaw our predicament a century ago.

¶ 03 In 1977, Sri Lanka produced about one in ten thousand of the world’s goods and services; by 2023 it had fallen to one in two thousand. Why? We learned in school the factors of production: land, labour, capital, and enterprise. Later we saw politicians redefine and degrade these. Labour was devalued, especially after the 1980 July strike. Labour is not merely to be exploited; it is a human resource to be respected—but we failed to build that respect. Land was politicized and misused without proper systems, harming industrial development.

¶ 04 Then, they declared we lacked capital and enterprise locally and must import them from abroad; without foreign capital and businesses we could not develop. Post-1977, despite this model, they failed to attract even a fraction of the Fortune 500. Our economy shifted away from human capital and land, becoming hollow, leading to food insecurity and a politics of mere subsistence. Our industrialists were destroyed; not just individuals, but our national entrepreneurial dream—innovation and creativity—was broken from childhood onward. Even basic artisanal and raw material production were decimated.

¶ 05 I represent Galle. Tea is produced across Ratnapura, Kalutara, Kegalle and beyond; your own district too, Hon. Presiding Member, is a leading tea producer. Yet in the past decade tea exports fell—from around 310 million kg in 2012 to about 210 million kg by 2020–2022. “Lipton’s tea garden” was our heritage—Ceylon tea was the world’s best. That reputation was squandered. We added no value, shipping leaf while others added value abroad. We failed to create an effective regulatory framework; adulteration with sugars and dyes tarnished our brand. Many tea factory owners and estate owners have sat in this House, yet none protected the industry’s pride. Smallholder production too suffered.

¶ 06 We ended up a country where people could not afford to eat, and politicians sought to keep it that way. In a short time, however, we have built a nation less racist, fairer to all, less corrupt, and rule-of-law oriented. Now we must embed the proud “Made in Sri Lanka” brand not just on paper but in people’s hearts. We must rekindle an entrepreneurial dream for the nation, overcoming key obstacles: a pervasive negative mindset and the politics of “no.” Some Opposition Members propagate negativity on TV daily.

¶ 07 In this Budget, our responsibilities under this Ministry include national policy-making, providing infrastructure, building export linkages, supporting entrepreneurship, strengthening state enterprises, and reviving handicrafts and traditional industries. We are acting on these. Our finest niche is spices—cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove, cardamom, lemongrass, goraka, cocoa, vanilla—unique in value. We are connecting farmers and industrialists to build a world-class brand and integrating these villages into tourism so Sri Lanka becomes a premier destination offering authentic value. Remembering Munidasa’s verse, I invite the people to join us in rebuilding the nation. Thank you.