The Hon. Namal Karunaratne
Hon. Namal Karunaratne stated that farmer leaders had been consulted and that any remaining issues could be referred to the Agriculture Committee and Coordinating Committee for action. He outlined expanded wildlife damage compensation, noting that eligibility now covers all vegetable crops and fruits such as banana, pineapple and melon, with increased rates including paddy seedling loss compensation rising from Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 60,000 per acre. He said officials had been instructed to facilitate payments, around 90 per cent of released funds had already been paid, and pending payments and requests on partial damage would be expedited.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I have personally obtained information from farmer leaders including Mr. Wajira, Mr. Susantha Wijeratne, Mr. Ratnapala and Mr. Nirmal Wijeratne. If further issues exist, we can take them up in the Agriculture Committee and the Coordinating Committee and act on recommendations.
¶ 02 On compensation: earlier only about six crops were eligible, but now we have included all vegetable crops and fruits such as banana, pineapple and melon, as well as previously listed crops, for wildlife damage compensation, and increased rates. Previously a paddy farmer received Rs. 16,000 per acre for seedling loss; now it is Rs. 60,000. Officials have been instructed to complete documentation to enable payments rather than seeking reasons to deny. Funds have been released; about 90% have been paid and the balance is being cleared. For pending areas, we will expedite release. We will also proceed on requests concerning partial damage.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 3 February 2026 ·No. 23252 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Namal Karunaratne. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 3 February 2026. No. 23252. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/8691