The Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne

¶ 01 Hon. Chair, today we are debating the Head of Expenditure of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation—an extremely important ministry. In these subjects, there are many projects whose benefits accrue immediately to the economy the day after completion. I wish to urge that we re-think agriculture as a whole. I have sat on both sides of the aisle and heard both perspectives; this is the time to look at agriculture differently and act differently. With these subjects brought under one ministry, I trust we can work in a new way.

¶ 02 Agriculture contributes about 8 percent to GDP—about USD 7 billion if GDP is USD 80–85 billion. About 2.3 million of the total workforce are in agriculture. Industry contributes 25.3 percent (about USD 22 billion) with 26 percent of the workforce.

¶ 03 We need to think anew. I do not mean reducing agriculture or land for agriculture, but rather increasing productivity. Although 26 percent of our working force is in agriculture, it adds only USD 7 billion. How far can we go like this? We need new technology, improved seeds, and machinery. A major issue is fragmentation of agricultural land into small plots, making mechanization and technology adoption difficult. Even in Kandy we see this. We must consolidate plots where possible to enable technology.

¶ 04 You spoke about data and digitizing the economy. But do we have reliable statistics on where harvests come from and how much by district? If not, then digitization must be made real; otherwise, at every change of Government we will merely shout at officials without implementing proper systems. We must introduce technology, knowledge, and high-yielding seeds and think in a modern way because other countries have changed.

¶ 05 For comparison, take the Netherlands. Our total cultivated area is about 1.37 million hectares; the Netherlands has 2.28 million hectares. They use a labour force of only 200,000 for agriculture—whereas we use about 3 million to cultivate roughly half that area. Consider how much new technology we need and the new methods we must adopt.

¶ 06 The Netherlands is now the third largest agricultural exporter in the world. If we want to reach such goals, we must embrace change. Otherwise, the industrial sector will lose workers, and even with 26 percent of our labour in agriculture, it neither contributes adequately to the nation nor yields sufficient income to farmers; they struggle with costs and cannot sell rice profitably.

¶ 07 We must therefore take a more practical, income-focused approach to agriculture.

¶ 08 Next, the damage caused by wild animals has been addressed by the Hon. Minister candidly. If we merely sermonize that even terrorists are human and delay action, thousands of innocents will perish; similarly, on wildlife conflict, if we do not implement a proper programme, the problem will worsen. At the Advisory Committee meetings, Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute regularly submits data showing the extent of damage and monetary loss. But beyond blaming the Wildlife Department, no plan is implemented. If you do not implement a plan, this issue will intensify. One of our colleagues said this even led to our Government’s fall; I still believe that. Go to the villages—people cannot cultivate anything. Even coconut harvests are wiped out. Therefore, act, not just count.

¶ 09 To illustrate, in the first half of 2022 alone, 93 million coconuts were destroyed. At Rs. 71 per nut, the loss was Rs. 6,638 million. In 2022, total damage to other crops amounted to Rs. 30,215 million. These figures are compiled by Hector Kobbekaduwa Institute together with the Department of Agrarian Development. The real loss is even higher. If we do not implement a plan, one day the Government will fall and people will have no food, and current farmers will be left destitute. Therefore, Government and Opposition together must formulate a programme.

¶ 10 Hon. Minister, while you are here, I draw your attention to a matter: in 2020, a blank cartridge for crop protection guns was about Rs. 140. Anticipating dollar appreciation, today a cartridge is Rs. 450. But if the dollar is Rs. 300, the price should be around Rs. 210 even with increases. The current price makes the guns useless because farmers cannot afford cartridges; 20–30 cartridges cost Rs. 5,000–7,500. Please discuss with the Defence Ministry and relevant agencies and devise a suitable arrangement.

¶ 11 On irrigation, I previously oversaw this subject. Many essential projects are in progress, but with Government changes and economic collapse, some stalled. Projects under the Mahaweli and Accelerated Mahaweli programmes, especially canal systems, remain incomplete. This should not be. I draw special attention to the North Central Province Maha Ela and the North Western Province Maha Ela projects. The North Central Maha Ela is about 94 km long and can provide water to about 1,350 tanks. Plans were made to complete works by 2024–2025, but with the economic breakdown, it too stopped. Now that the ministries are working together, please implement these essential projects. You have a Parliament of 150 seats and a two-thirds majority—therefore designate these as priority projects funded by the State and complete them urgently; they will add to the economy the very next day. Otherwise, we will still be talking about them tomorrow.

¶ 12 We have long spoken of the North Central Maha Ela—taking water to Iranamadu, Huruluwewa, and Mahakanadarawa—but still cannot supply water to those 1,350 tanks. Similarly, the North Western Maha Ela is about 90 km long and can supply 350 tanks. For three to four Governments we have talked about these. Please focus on them.

¶ 13 We also created a programme to survey tanks. Although the Survey Department intervened, they could not finish due to limited human resources. Therefore, we recruited university graduates who had passed the relevant examinations and, within about one and a half years, prepared 1,740 OD documents and completed many large surveys. I propose that we again engage such graduates under the Survey Department to complete measurements of tanks, bunds, canals, etc., for about three years, after which they could qualify as licensed surveyors, giving them a profession, while enabling the Ministry to protect and manage irrigation assets with accurate data.

¶ 14 Also, please pay attention to tanks along main roads; they can contribute to the economy and tourism. Thank you, Hon. Chair.