The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleke

¶ 01 Sir, give me four minutes, please.

¶ 02 On the Ministry of Agriculture, many spoke about paddy cultivation. Two-thirds of the world’s population lives in Asia, and, like us, those countries focus greatly on paddy cultivation. In every district here, paddy is cultivated to varying extents; even in Colombo. The largest paddy extent is in Kurunegala; the least in Nuwara Eliya.

¶ 03 Since ancient times we were called the “Granary of the East.” Yet, the last Government destroyed agriculture. Under Gotabaya Rajapaksa, chemical fertilizer imports were banned. Despite all our warnings from the Opposition, arbitrary decisions resulted in the bankruptcy of both the Treasury and the granary. The chemical fertilizer ban and the “organic fertilizer drama” severely hit tea, coconut, rubber and especially paddy. Farmers spilled onto main roads and people queued. Ultimately, those decisions helped sweep you into Government with a massive public mandate.

¶ 04 Even in this short period, under your Government, people faced many issues: failure to provide fertilizer subsidies on time; inability to pay promised farmer compensation; delays in announcing a guaranteed price for paddy; shortage of rice varieties; people queued to buy rice; paying historically high prices for coconuts and rice. Not only did these burden the people, but even dogs were blamed as victims, saying dogs eat rice and coconuts, causing prices to rise—such statements circulated publicly.

¶ 05 Accurate data on land use in Sri Lanka is lacking, which affects both ministries. Different sources show different statistics, but broadly, about six million acres are agricultural and plantation lands, and over 30 percent of the working population is employed in agriculture. We must not forget that.

¶ 06 Furthermore, lack of secure land tenure prevents effective use and modernization. Even today, modernization is minimal; there is a big gap between the technology taught in our agricultural faculties and what is used in the field. Most farmers are still engaged in traditional agriculture, leading to low incomes. As a result, youth are moving away from farming. We see widespread protests by farmers on TV at night. Prices of paddy and vegetables crash at harvest time; agriculture is a risky enterprise with droughts, floods, diseases and wildlife damage. All these reduce farmer incomes and increase their hardships.

¶ 07 Compared with many countries, our agriculture is still not at a satisfactory level. People are watching to see if this Government has an effective plan. They remember how you led farmers from the Opposition. Therefore, everyone is watching your programme.

¶ 08 Hon. Member, you have exhausted your additional time, too.

¶ 09 I will conclude, Hon. Chair.

¶ 10 Finally, we saw during past Rajapaksa regimes several programmes launched for agriculture: various cultivation drives, “Divi Neguma”, “Api Wawamu – Rata Nagamu”, with grand names, but none reached a proper conclusion; most ended as political publicity. As a country, we still have not shifted to commercial agriculture or ensured food security. Only when all of this is set right can you, as a Government, lay claim to the saying, “The farmer who tilled the mud is fit even to be king.” Thank you, Hon. Chair.