Govt. has reduced allocations for agricultural sector – Ranjith

By Saman Indrajith

The government had reduced budgetary allocations for the ministries of agriculture and irrigation by the 2023 budget, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ranjith Maddumabandara said in Parliament on Wednesday.Maddumabandara added that the budgetary allocations for constructing roads and defence had increased.

“We should prioritise the agriculture sector. We are facing food shortages and there are serious concerns about the nutrition of our children. If you look at Polonnaruwa, a main agricultural area, malnutrition is on the rise. The cost of production has gone through the roof and the government has imported 700,000 metric tons of rice,” he said.

The SJB MP said that the decision to go organic overnight had led to the collapse of the agriculture sector.

“Farmers need chemical fertiliser, but the government has not been able to provide it. We urge the government to provide fertiliser and other inputs needed by farmers and get agriculture back on track in 2023,” the SJB Mp said.

Maddumabandara said small and medium scale rice mills had been closed down and a few large-scale mills were dominating the paddy and rice markets much to the detriment of the interests of both the farming community and consumers.

“The government does not buy paddy from farmers, but it has enough money to dish out massive loans for large-scale mills. Look at who is importing rice, they get cheap rice from abroad and mix it with Sri Lankan rice and sell it at Rs 220 a kilo. We are also importing corn. The price of chicken, eggs and other meats are prohibitively high. No wonder children are suffering from malnutrition. This is all because of the collapse of our agriculture sector. Even animals are without food,” he said.

The SJB MP said that not many Sri Lankans could afford basic meals, and according to UNICEF 33 percent of Sri Lankans were food insecure. “This includes millions of children.

“When children are malnourished, their development slows, and they will face major health issues. The government will have to spend more money on health in the future to treat them. Farmers are now only making enough for their own consumption. Now, the government wants them to plant ganja. An MP has imported latex, and this will bankrupt rubber farmers. The current minister of agriculture has been holding this post in successive governments. What has he done?” he asked.In response, the Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said that they had done a number of things to address the issues faced by the farmers.

“Urea has been sent to all main agricultural hubs. We are bringing in fertiliser needed for new growing paddy. Four ships carrying fertilisers will arrive soon. If there is some issue with urea distribution, please tell me. We are giving 50 kilos of fertiliser per hectare. We have also got diesel from China, and we will give it to farmers. By next year, we will be back on track,” he said.