The Hon. Sudath Balagalla

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in today’s Appropriation debate we are discussing a very important Ministry, because nearly 22 million people are connected to it. A majority of public servants come under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation. All animals and the environment across the country, too, fall within its purview. If the Opposition Members speaking today were in Government, this Ministry would likely have been split into numerous portfolios—one for each canal, coconut tree, tea bush, chicken and cow. Fortunately, that is not the case now. Under the leadership of Hon. Lal Kantha, this Ministry is coherently structured.

¶ 02 Given the Ministry’s broad mandate, I will focus on Lands. Sri Lanka is a fortunate country: we have no volcanoes, devastating cyclones, major earthquakes or glaciers. Surrounded by the ocean, with a central highland and about 275 rainy days per year, we are blessed. But we have only 65,610 square kilometres of land, much of which is taken up by hills, waterways and tanks, leaving a limited area for human settlement and livelihood. Therefore, we must manage land with excellent governance. Just because the National People’s Power came to power, nobody’s two acres in Mahiyanganaya or ten perches in Colombo multiplied. Our duty is to make the existing land more productive. If a farmer once earned Rs. 100,000 per acre, we must help him earn Rs. 1 million. We are ready to do that.

¶ 03 Land must be apportioned among human settlements, agriculture, industry and wildlife. Above all, agriculture is vital. As Bertolt Brecht said in “The Measures Taken,” just as the ox must be carefully tended, so must the village—likewise, we believe land should be owned by farmers, and our Ministry is tasked with ensuring that land yields its best.

¶ 04 But past governments failed. Our soil is sick—overburdened with chemicals, prone to erosion and degradation. In the next five years, we must treat our soils urgently: test soils, diagnose issues and restore life. We are initiating soil sampling and testing to provide scientific remedies.

¶ 05 Our land was also degraded by policy. In 2004, then Agriculture Minister Anura Dissanayake laid the foundation for a farm implements sales centre in Mahiyanganaya. Later, under the watch of leaders who are now in the Opposition, land belonging to thousands of farmer organizations was allegedly transferred to the then Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman. I urge the Agriculture and Lands Ministers to restore those sales centre lands to the farmers of Minipe, Mahaweli, Bathmedilla, Komarika, Dambarawa, Nagadeepa, Sorabora and Mapakada projects.

¶ 06 In the Mahaweli system there are ten zones. I represent Mahaweli “C”. Settlers there came under hardship—among elephants, leopards and LTTE threats—yet farmed for decades. Still, many lack land grants. A woman who applied at age 54 in 2005 returned again on 15 January this year at age 75—still without her grant. Meanwhile, many others have acquired land through politicization, much like the bus service was politicized. We ask Mahaweli officials to do right by genuine farmers; we do not ask land for ourselves.

¶ 07 In Mahaweli “C”, there are 56 minor tanks; not one has been rehabilitated in 20 years, except Bathalayaya under “Wew Dahasak” in 2005. Tanks are silting and disappearing. While ancient giants—Yoda Wewa, Sorabora, Parakrama Samudraya, Minneriya and Kala Wewa—still live, tanks built 30-40 years ago are vanishing. We must restore them for our farmers.

¶ 08 Mahaweli settlers had high hopes—education, health and infrastructure were to be uplifted. Yet within 40 years, promised schools and hospitals are insufficient; many buildings lie underutilized or abandoned. These are not gifts; they were built with borrowed billions. For 76 years, rulers have allowed assets to erode. We must increase field productivity, add value to crops and bring a new renaissance to agriculture—because many of us here are farmers at heart and hand.

¶ 09 Land permits remain a torment. Files locked in drawers turn brothers into enemies. In Asia, people love land even more than their parents. We urge public officials to expedite permit issuance. In Badulla District, we will establish procedures to issue permits swiftly, with simplified lawful processes.

¶ 10 This Ministry is tied to 22 million people and most public servants. We pray for the strength and courage to deliver a quality service, and we pledge our fullest commitment.