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SL’s agriculture sector has nose-dived over the past three decades – SJB MP
Due to mismanagement of successive governments
by Saman Indrajith
The country’s agriculture sector has declined over the past three decades due to mismanagement of successive governments, a SJB parliamentarian said.
Participating in the committee stage debate on Budget 2021 on Thursday, SJB Kurunegala District MP Ashok Abeysinghe said that there had been eight ministers of agriculture since 1994 with various concepts that had been worded nicely but none of them was able to prevent the country’s agriculture sector’s march towards total collapse.
He said: “In 1994, the agriculture sector’s contribution to the GDP was 12 percent. The main income of the country was from tea, coconut and rubber. Today the GDP contribution is at 7 percent with a minus 5.6 growth rate. With such figures what sort of future could one expect from the country’s agriculture sector?
“There are 12,000 hectares cultivated for paddy and around three to five million metric tons of paddy produced in Yala and Maha seasons. Ten percent of the total number of families numbering around 5.4 million in the country is connected to paddy cultivation. When the harvest is good, we get around 5 million tons of paddy. We hope this season too we’ll get around five million metric tons of paddy harvest.
“After five million tons of paddy are milled, we get around 3 million metric tons of rice. The country’s consumption is around 2.6 to 2.7 million metric tons of rice. So we have a surplus of rice when the harvest is good. Why cannot the rice prices be brought down so that consumption would increase? In this country, daily consumption of 450 gram loaves of bread is 3.5 million. If the rice prices are brought down, then people will consume more rice instead of bread.
“The government keeps printing gazettes indicating controlled prices for rice, but there is no rice at those prices in the market. Under this government five such gazettes have been printed”.
MP Abeysinghe said that till the issues pertaining to mismanagement are addressed, the concepts and projects implemented for the development of agriculture would remain mere beautiful words.
“In 1994 under Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government, Agriculture Minister DM Jayaratne worked under the theme ‘Waga Lanka Waga Sangramaya’. Thereafter, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as the minister of agriculture, launched a 10,000 tanks project. His successor SB Dissanayake introduced the ‘Paladaaithvaya Diyunu Karamu’ (Let’s improve efficiency) project. Thereafter, Mathripala Sirisena became the agriculture minister and launched ‘Api Wavamu Rata Nagamu’ (Let’s grow and build the nation) project.
His successor Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena continued on the same lines of his predecessor’s theme. Duminda Dissanayake as the minister of agriculture launched the ‘Jathika Nishpadana Sangramaya’ (National Production Campaign) project. Mahinda Amaraweera worked under the theme ‘Api Wavalai Api Kanne’ (We eat only what we grow) national project. Now the incumbent Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage is working under the theme ‘Batha Bulathin Saru Ratak’ (Country full of rice and betel). Now after all those projects what we got? We have today a seven percent GDP contribution from agriculture with a minus 5.6 growth rate, the MP noted.
“Today, we have 200,000 hectares under tea cultivation that produces 300 million kilos annually. Rubber is cultivated on 150,000 hectares and production is around 75 to 80 million kilos while coconut is cultivated in 500,000 hectares producing 2,000 to 3,000 million nuts. Our liquid milk production is at 400-450 million liters”, he added.
He further said: “These indicators will turn better if the government genuinely attempts to develop the agriculture sector under proper management. In this budget for the next year, only Rs 4,500,000 allocated to develop the poultry industry which currently produces around 12 million eggs per year. This is not a practical allocation. When the President took oaths at Anuradhapura, free fertilizer was promised to all farmers but the budget proposals say that only the paddy farmers would get it free while other farmers will have to pay Rs 1,500 per a sack of fertilizer”.
“The farmers have a problem with seeds. They have crop destruction problems from floods, drought and wild animals. Those who lose their crop cannot survive such a season without borrowing. The agrarian insurance scheme has numerous problems with around one fourth of farmers being excluded from it,” MP Abeysinghe said.
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PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC is not bound by recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, or presidential directives in that regard, according to authoritative sources.
They said that the AG couldn’t under any circumstances initiate legal proceedings until he had received the full PCoI report.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa received the PCoI report on Feb 1. The President’s Office delivered a set of PCoI reports to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Feb 23, a day after the report was presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Island raised the matter with relevant authorities in the wake of a section of the media reporting the PCoI recommending punitive measures against former President Maithripala Sirisena, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, IGP Pujitha Jayasundera, Chief of State Intelligence Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, Chief of National Intelligence retired DIG Sisira Mendis and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and Samagi Jana Balavegaya MP Rishad Bathiudeen et al over the Easter Sunday carnage.
Sources pointed out that due to the inordinate delay in sharing the PCoI report with the AG, the department hadn’t been able to take preliminary measures required to initiate the proceedings. Sources said that a team of officers would take at least six weeks or more to examine the report before tangible measures could be taken.
With the AG scheduled to retire on May 24, 2021, even if the AG Department received the P CoI it would be quite a tough task to initiate proceedings ahead of retirement, sources said. However, in terms of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in last October, both the AG and the IGP could receive extensions beyond 60 at the President’s discretion.
Dappula de Livera received an Acting appointment as the AG a week after the Easter Sunday carnage whereas his predecessor Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, was elevated to Chief Justice.
Responding to another query, sources said that the Attorney General two weeks ago requested Secretary to the President for a copy of the P CoI. However, the AG was yet to receive one, sources said. In spite of the AG not receiving a P CoI copy, the AG had instructed the IGP to obtain a copy of the report when he requested the police to complete investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage. The AG issued specific instructions after having examined police files pertaining to the investigations.
The IGP, too, hadn’t received a copy so far though some sections of the report were in the public domain.
Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage displayed at a live political programme on Derana a copy of the P CoI report he received at the cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
Sources said that the Attorney General’s Department couldn’t decide on a course of action in respect of the Easter carnage on the basis of a section of the report. In terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Section 24), the AG enjoyed significant powers/authority in respect of investigations; sources said adding that the Department urgently required both the P CoI report and police investigations report. The Attorney General’s Department has raised the delay in receiving a P CoI report amidst the Catholic Church attacking the government over the same issue.
Sources said that ministerial committee appointed to study the P CoI report couldn’t decide on how to proceed with the recommendations and the matter was entirely in the hands of the AG. Sources pointed out that the delay on the part of the government to release the report had received the attention of sections of the international media, including the New York Times. Public Security Minister retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera having met Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Bishop’s House on Dec 8, 2020 said that the AG would get a copy of the P CoI report once the President received it. Minister Weerasekera said that the CID had handed over the relevant files after having completed investigations into eight blasts. Referring to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report on the Easter Sunday carnage, the former Navy Chief of Staff said that all such documents would have to be brought to one place and considered before initiating legal proceedings. Acknowledging that there could be delays, lawmaker Weerasekera said that on the instructions of the Attorney General a 12-member team of lawyers was working on the case. The minister vowed to expose the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Investigations continued while some of those wanted were overseas, the minister said.
The minister acknowledged that the Attorney General couldn’t proceed without the P CoI report. Minister Weerasekera reiterated that once the President received the P CoI report, it would be sent to the Attorney General. The minister said that there were documents two to three feet high that needed scrutiny. The minister assured comprehensive investigation. The minister said that investigations pertaining to eight blasts had been completed and the reports handed over to the AG. However, the Attorney General had found shortcomings in those investigations.
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By Saman Indrajith
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday bombings had failed to identify the mastermind of , the JVP said yesterday.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the PCoI report had levelled accusations against former President Maithripala Sirisena, former IGP and head of intelligence for their dereliction of duty, shirking of responsibilities and not taking action to prevent the attacks and negligence. There were reference to the causes of the terror attacks and actions to be taken to avoid such attacks and the influence of extremist organisations. “However, there is no mention of the mastermind of the attacks, the handlers of the attackers and those whose interests the carnage served. It is also not mentioned whether there has been any foreign or local organisation behind those attacks. As per the PCoI report the attack took place as a result of culmination of extremism.
“According to the PCoI the extremist activities were a result of the prevailing political situation then. The entire nation was waiting to see who was responsible and who masterminded those attacks. The PCoI has failed to identify the true culprits responsible for the terror attacks. The report says that the leader of the suicide cadres killed himself in the attacks and it was a puzzle. That means those who are actually responsible for the attacks are still at large. The report does not provide exact details of the sources of the attacks. The PCoI had sittings for one year and five months. It summoned various persons and got their statements but it has failed to shed any light on the terror attacks. Everybody knows that the top leaders of the government and heads of security and intelligence establishments failed in their duties. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the second in command and he too is bound by the responsibility but the PCoI report fails to identify him as one of the persons against whom legal action should be instituted. The PCoI has treated Wickremesinghe and former President Maithripala Sirisena differently. We are not telling that this report is a total failure but we cannot accept this as a complete report. The PCoI handed over its report to the President on Feb 1. After 23 days it was sent to Parliament. Now, a copy of the report is there in the parliamentary library for the perusal of MPs.”
Herath said that the PCoI did not have powers to take punitive action. “It only has powers to name those responsible and recommend action to be taken against those named.
