10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development

Jathika Jana balawegaya· Anuradhapura· 9 July 2025 ·Oral question: Questions under Standing Order 27(2): Paddy Purchase, Rice Import, Horticultural Crops; Question of Privilege

Cost of LivingAgriculture
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The Minister stated that the Government is committed to protecting domestic producers of big onions, potatoes, and red onions in key districts, while balancing farmer and consumer interests. He noted that local production accounts for about 10–15% of national demand and said policy measures would ensure it is not undermined. A detailed response on the matter was promised for Friday.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, we are mindful of protecting domestic producers, particularly in the districts specializing in big onion, potato, and red onion. We will not allow the 10-15% of national demand grown locally to be jeopardized, and we aim to balance farmer and consumer interests through policy. A detailed response will be provided on Friday.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Wednesday, 9 July 2025 ·No. 1752660241032216 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 July 2025. No. 1752660241032216. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/9236