Topic
Agriculture
1,763 speeches · 318 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Namal Karunaratne, M.P. JJB | 104 |
| 2 | Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, M.P. JJB | 93 |
| 3 | Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna, M.P. JJB | 83 |
| 4 | Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe, M.P. JJB | 48 |
| 5 | Hon. Kins Nelson, M.P. SJB | 39 |
| 6 | Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha, M.P. JJB | 37 |
| 7 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 32 |
| 8 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 32 |
| 9 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 32 |
| 10 | Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar, M.P. JJB | 30 |
Speeches
1,763 on this topic- 22 January 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah SLMC AI summary Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah expressed support for the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme but urged the Government to provide clearer guidance to the public and public officers and to implement it through local authorities at grassroots level. He proposed training officials, strengthening local bodies to clean drains, plant trees and beautify villages, and changing mindsets across the public service, including the police and security sectors. He also highlighted repeated flooding in the Eastern Province and damage caused by the opening of Senanayake Samudraya sluice gates, requesting compensation for affected farmers in Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme (Postponed from 2025-01-21) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Sellaththamby Thilaganathan JJB AI summary Hon. Sellaththamby Thilaganathan argued that the Vanni District’s resources, including forests and river sand, were exploited after 2009 under the guise of development, while key livelihoods such as agriculture, livestock and fishing were neglected. He called for grazing land to be allocated for livestock farmers, highlighted low milk producer prices, inadequate veterinary services in Mullaitivu, and the decline of animal husbandry’s contribution to national production. He also raised concerns about exam paper errors, the military occupation of the Co-operative Training School in Vavuniya, the continued closure of the Vavuniya Economic Centre, and the absence of Mahaweli water for the Vanni region, stating that the Government would address these issues. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme (Postponed from 2025-01-21) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Anton Jayakody - Deputy Minister of Environment JJB AI summary Anton Jayakody defended the Clean Sri Lanka Programme as a broad national initiative covering social, environmental and ethical reform, not merely waste management. He argued it should address past development failures such as Uma Oya, Oluvil Port, coastal erosion and neglected irrigation infrastructure, while supporting agriculture through tank rehabilitation, improved fertilizer use and future domestic fertilizer production. He also linked the programme to “clean politics,” calling for reforms in governance, policing, regulatory institutions and public administration to build a productive economy and better living conditions. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme (Postponed from 2025-01-21) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna JJB AI summary Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna said tea cess has been remitted to the Treasury since 2011 and that the Government is prepared to discuss with the Finance Ministry a support programme for both smallholders and large estates. He noted that smallholders now produce over 75 per cent of national tea output, but many lands require costly replanting or infilling, while 21 Government-leased estates include fallow and under-replanted sections that the Government intends to revitalize. He also stated that fertilizer backlogs affecting the sector have been cleared, and that assistance from Russia, including 27,500 MT of MOP allocated to his Ministry, will be used for tea and coconut lands, including Government coconut estates that had lacked fertilizer for five years. Oral Question: Cess Levied on Finished Tea - Income Earned in 2024 (Q.8/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Lal Premanath JJB AI summary Hon. Lal Premanath raised concerns about the use of cess funds for the tea industry, noting its importance to millions of people including smallholders, factory owners, and workers. He said fertilizer, replanting support, and nursery assistance had not been provided adequately or on time, while acknowledging the recent provision of MOP fertilizer. He asked whether substantial funds would henceforth be allocated for tea industry development and whether the Government has a specific programme to strengthen the sector as a stable foreign exchange earner. Oral Question: Cess Levied on Finished Tea - Income Earned in 2024 (Q.8/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Lal Premanath JJB AI summary Lal Premanath asked when the allocation of cess funds to the Tea Board, Tea Small Holdings Development Authority, and Tea Research Institute was stopped, and the reasons for discontinuing it. The question was framed as a supplementary seeking clarification on prior funding arrangements for tea sector institutions. Oral Question: Cess Levied on Finished Tea - Income Earned in 2024 (Q.8/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB AI summary The Minister provided a written reply on tea cess, confirming current rates on bulk tea, value-added packs, exports, and imports. He stated that total tea cess revenue collected in 2024 was Rs. 1.618 billion, almost entirely from exports, and that Customs remits these proceeds to the Consolidated Fund rather than transferring them to the Tea Board, Tea Research Institute, or Tea Small Holdings Development Authority. Oral Question: Cess Levied on Finished Tea - Income Earned in 2024 (Q.8/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Lal Premanath JJB AI summary Lal Premanath asked the Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure to provide details on the cess levied on exported finished tea, including the current rate per kilogram and total revenue collected in 2024. He further requested a breakdown of allocations from that revenue to the Sri Lanka Tea Board, Tea Small Holdings Development Authority, and Tea Research Institute, and asked whether expenditure reports for those funds would be presented to Parliament. Oral Question: Cess Levied on Finished Tea - Income Earned in 2024 (Q.8/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. Rohana Bandara AI summary Hon. Rohana Bandara questioned the lack of accurate records on the total extent of land held by the Land Reform Commission and asked for a study to be conducted and reported to Parliament. He raised concerns over alleged irregularities involving LRC-funded compost fertilizer projects, especially in Anuradhapura, and the alienation of LRC lands to associates, retired military officers, and businessmen. He asked whether the Government, given its anti-corruption pledges, would investigate these matters and take action against those responsible. Oral Question: Lands Owned by Land Reform Commission - Fraudulent Acquisition (Q.4/2025) Read →
- 22 January 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister, responding on behalf of the Minister, outlined the establishment and statutory objectives of the Land Reform Commission under the Land Reform Act, No. 1 of 1972, including land ceiling limits of 25 acres for paddy land and 50 acres for other agricultural land. He confirmed that legal action has been initiated in several districts to recover Commission lands allegedly acquired or occupied unlawfully, citing cases in Gampaha, Matara, Kalutara, Kandy and Trincomalee. He added that island-wide action is continuing under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act, with some matters before courts, police, or the Attorney-General. Oral Question: Lands Owned by Land Reform Commission - Fraudulent Acquisition (Q.4/2025) Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran ITAK AI summary Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran urged the Government to use presidential authority and legal or administrative measures to prevent the reopening of a liquor outlet in a residential area, citing harm to residents and students and public disappointment despite support given to the ruling party. He also raised the alleged forcible takeover by the Sri Lanka Army of Aalaiyadivembu Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society properties, stating that they were long-held cooperative assets used for paddy processing, rice distribution and employment. He requested that the properties be returned to the cooperative, referring to earlier Defence Ministry and Army instructions to restore them, and called for protection of farmers’ interests and lost livelihoods. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka SJB AI summary Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka urged the Government to take stronger action to eliminate opportunities for bribery and address alleged mismanagement. He cited the continuing rice crisis, repeated failures in tenders to import rice, and delays in providing the fertilizer subsidy as examples of administrative failure requiring urgent attention. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC SJB AI summary Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper said the Clean Sri Lanka concept was acceptable in principle but questioned the legality and administrative basis for implementation through a Presidential Task Force when many functions fall under local authorities and provincial councils. He raised practical public sanitation issues, including inadequate train toilet facilities, and urged attention to implementation details. He also called for urgent intervention in flooding affecting the Kalmunai–Oluvil area in Ampara, citing breaches and canal obstructions threatening agriculture, and requested immediate support from the Presidential Secretariat and district coordination bodies. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Ravindra Bandara AI summary Ravindra Bandara defended the Government’s Clean Sri Lanka programme, arguing that it should address conduct within Parliament as well as public sanitation, school facilities, transport behaviour, tourism needs, and social attitudes. He said the Government had implemented the PUCSL electricity tariff decision, was building 4,000 estate houses, would not issue bar permits through ministers, and was strengthening the Paddy Marketing Board by reviving abandoned storage facilities. He also cited increased fertilizer support, reduced medicine prices and lower cement prices as Government measures, while accusing previous administrations and opposition figures of creating or neglecting current problems. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan ITAK AI summary Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan expressed support for the Clean Sri Lanka initiative, provided it is implemented practically to address not only environmental cleanliness but also corruption, crime, communalism, discriminatory laws, and divisive politics. He called for guaranteed prices for farmers, flood relief and repairs to damaged infrastructure in the North and East, including the Kiran Bridge and the Vakarai–Kattumurippu and Mandur–Moongilaru roads. He also requested action for depositors affected by The Finance Company closure, employment opportunities for Bachelor of Education graduates, and permanent appointments for field mosquito eradication assistants. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha SJB AI summary Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha questioned the Government’s “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, arguing that its definition, scope, vision, mission, and funding have not been clearly presented to Parliament or the public. He asked whether the programme includes locality-specific plans, upgrading estate line rooms and poor urban housing, and ensuring timely fertilizer supply to farmers. He also sought details of any agreements from discussions with India and China on an oil refinery, including whether benefits would accrue to Sri Lankans or mainly to exports, and called for such agreements to be shown to Parliament if public support is expected. Adjournment Debate: Clean Sri Lanka Programme Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna JJB AI summary Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna said declining coconut yields are a national concern, citing the lack of fertilizer application on about 39,883 acres of state-owned coconut land over five years and climate impacts. He stated that the Government is responding with Russian-assisted MOP fertilizer supplies, including 27,500 MT allocated for coconut, and plans to provide free fertilizer to smallholders with under five acres. He also said the Government intends to begin cultivation on 40,000 acres in the Northern Coconut Triangle, with Rs. 1,437 million requested in the Budget, while noting that results will take three to four years. Oral Questions (Multiple Questions) Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Ajith Gihan JJB AI summary Ajith Gihan raised concern over the decline in coconut yield and described it as a crisis. He asked the relevant authorities to identify the principal causes of the reduced production. Oral Questions (Multiple Questions) Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB AI summary Sand extraction and sale took place on Chilaw Plantations Limited lands to generate income and supply potting sand for coconut cultivation, but the Minister said the activity caused environmental harm, failed to meet its objectives, and involved irregular transactions, leading the Ministry to suspend operations and order investigations. He provided annual coconut income and production figures for 2019-2023, noting a decline in 2023 yields due to rainfall and climate factors, fertilizer shortages linked to COVID-19 and the economic crisis, high input costs, management weaknesses, and malpractices. Measures proposed to improve yields include proper fertilizer use, water conservation and harvesting, pest and weed control, mulching, cover crops, organic manure, intercropping, erosion control, micronutrients, stronger agronomic supervision, better estate management, and reduced harvest losses. Oral Questions (Multiple Questions) Read →
- 21 January 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa - Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister reported flooding along both banks of the Gal Oya in Ampara due to high storage at the D.S. Senanayake Samudraya, spill gate releases, and additional inflows, with a bund breach at Nehinnaikadu inundating about 3,000 acres of paddy. He said around 1,000 acres had been saved, another 1,000 acres might still be protected subject to weather, but more than 1,000 acres were damaged, while several roads and irrigation structures were also affected. He stated that temporary sandbagging and emergency work were being carried out by district officials, irrigation engineers, the tri-forces and Police, and that estimates and special DCC committees were being prepared for permanent flood control and Gal Oya river conservation measures. Oral Questions (Multiple Questions) Read →