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MONLAR: Agriculture output has dropped by between 30 and 50 percent

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/22

By Rathindra Kuruwita

There had been a 30%- 50% drop in the country’s agricultural output, Chinthaka Rajapakshe, Convener of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) told The Island yesterday.

“The farmers, like almost everyone else in this country, are uncertain of their future and they have only sold a portion of their produce. So, for example, if a farmer produced 100 kilos of paddy, he would keep 50 kilos for his own consumption and sell only 50 kilos,” Rajapakshe said.

According to Rajapakshe widespread hoarding coupled with a steep drop in production means that there will be a food shortage in the coming months. “The government is already importing rice from India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and China has donated rice to us rice,” he said.

“Given the dollar crunch, I am not sure if we can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on food imports. The main problem with the government’s organic drive was that there was no planning. The Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Agrarian Services and the Mahaweli Authority failed to give proper directions to the farmers.”

The situation would have been better if the government had given cash directly to the farmers to produce compost and other inputs. However, the government insisted on handing over the production of compost and other inputs to businessmen who were their political supporters. These businessmen had produced low-quality fertiliser that was rejected by farmers, Rajapakshe said.

“Farmers had no faith in the government or organic agriculture because they realised that it was not done in good faith. It was done either because of the dollar shortages or because the government wanted to enrich its cronies,” he said.

MONLAR Convenor said that the other problem plaguing agriculture was the fuel shortage. Many farmers used pumps to irrigate their farms that ran on diesel and there had been a severe diesel shortage for months, he said.

“The current crisis in farming is a reflection of the chaotic nature in the country. The main problem is not the fertiliser or fuel shortage alone, it is that the farming community has lost its faith in the government.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lionel Weerakoon, former senior scientist at the Department of Agriculture said that the switch-over to organic agriculture could not be effected by fiat overnight. It had to be done over a period of time.

“27% workers, out of a labour force of eight million, are engaged in agricultural and related industries. There is a belief that the government banned agrochemicals due to the belief that excessive use and elevated exposure to fertilisers and agrochemicals might be a contributing factor to Chronic Kidney Disease. But this is not what scientists, economists or farmers believe,” he said.

In 2020, Sri Lanka imported through both state and private sector, fertilisers worth $259 million and this was 1.6% of the country’s total imports.

“The 2021 bill could have been anything between $300 and $400 million given international prices. The situation is even worse now because Russia, Belarus and China have limited their fertiliser exports. If we are to purchase a similar quantity of fertiliser as we did in 2020, we might have to spend 600 million US dollars,” Dr. Weerakoon said.

In 2019, the fertiliser subsidy programme cost the government around 46 billion rupees or $253 million, which is roughly 2% of the government’s recurring expenditure. Fully-subsidised fertiliser for smallholder rice production was one of the reasons why people overused fertiliser.

“The fertiliser subsidy was extended to other crops, including tea, vegetables, coconut, rubber, potatoes, fruit, and minor export crops. The government subsidises anywhere from 48-to-88 percent of the market price of a 50-kilo bag of fertiliser. In 2019, the government distributed around 300,000 MT of subsidised imported fertiliser among the cultivators of other crops. 44% went to tea plantations, 24% to vegetable producers, and 12% to coconut plantations with the balance being allocated to rubber, fruit, potatoes, and minor export crops,” Dr. Weerakoon said.

“There have been many attempts by the government and NGOs to promote more effective use of chemicals in agriculture for decades. These have not been successful and our agricultural systems are unsustainable. Given this context the decision to go organic was a very bad idea.

“There was a better plan in 2015. It was a soft shift to organic agriculture. The overall management of the country under the incumbent government has been disastrous. The current chaos in agriculture sector is a good example,” the senior scientist said.

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Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up: Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 helps Sri Lanka beat Pakistan

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/7

Priyan

File photo: Chamari Athapaththu top-scored for Sri Lanka (Cricinfo)

Captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 helped Sri Lanka chase down 169 with ease against Pakistan. Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne together started strongly, putting up a 159-run stand as Sri Lanka won with eight balls to spare.

With the ball, right-arm seamer Chethana Vimukthi, who was called up as the injured Shashini Gimhani’s replacement. for the T20 World Cup, made an impact for Sri Lanka, finishing with figures of 4 for 31. Vimukthi broke the 60-run stand between openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza, following which Pakistan lost wickets regularly. Captain Fatima Sana top-scored for Pakistan from No. 7 with 37 to push the total past 150. In reply, Sri Lanka made easy work of the chase, with Athapaththu itting five sixes and nine fours in her 56-ball stay.

Scores:

Sri Lanka Women 169 for 1 in 18.4 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 94, Vishmi Gunaratne 63*; Fatima Sana 1-20 ) beat Pakistan Women 168 for 8 in 20 overs (Muneesha Ali 36, Gull Feroza 26. Ayesha Zafar 10, Saira Jabeen 12, Fatima Sana 37, Aliya Riyaaz 22; Sugandika Kumari 1-33, Chethana Vimukthi 4-31, Malki Madara 1-19, Nimasha Meepage 1-16) by nine wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Open hearing on coal procurement inquiry set for July first week

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/7

Thilina Walpola

Open hearing of evidence into alleged irregularities in coal procurement is scheduled to begin in the first week of July, while the Presidential Commission of Inquiry continues recording statements from relevant officials, investigators said.

So far, the Commission has recorded statements from around 40 government officials, including members of procurement committees and other personnel attached to institutions involved in coal-related transactions.

Officials said that, depending on evidence gathered during the ongoing inquiry, statements may also be obtained from former ministers if required.

The Commission has also received 28 complaints in connection with alleged irregularities in coal imports and related procurement processes.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on April 17 appointed a three-member Presidential Commission of Inquiry under the Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry Act No. 07 of 1978 to probe alleged malpractice in coal imports and electricity generation since the inception of coal-based power generation up to April 16, 2026.

The Commission is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga, with Court of Appeal Judge Aditya Patabendige and High Court Judge Sanjeewa Somaratne serving as members. Former State Ministry Secretary P.V. Bandulasena acts as Secretary to the Commission.

The inquiry covers alleged procurement irregularities, possible financial losses to the State, import of substandard coal, quality inspection failures, contractual breaches and operational issues in power generation, including whether corrective measures were taken where necessary.

It will also identify responsible political authorities, officials of Sri Lanka Coal Company (Private) Limited and suppliers, while recommending legal or administrative action and measures to prevent future lapses.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) is also preparing to table its report on coal procurement in Parliament, with officials from relevant institutions having been summoned during its proceedings. COPE Chairman MP Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera said audit findings had also been considered, and any matters requiring further investigation would be referred to law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities.

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TNA MP calls for complete repeal of PTA

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/7

Thilina Walpola

Trincomalee District TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has submitted a motion to Parliament calling for the immediate repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), arguing that the controversial law has enabled arbitrary detention, torture and the targeting of minority communities for more than four decades.

In his motion, now published in the Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, the MP urged the Government to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, No. 48 of 1979, in its entirety and refrain from introducing any replacement legislation containing similar provisions.

Rasamanickam contended that the PTA had been used for over 40 years to facilitate prolonged arbitrary detention and to obtain false confessions through torture. He further alleged that the law had disproportionately affected minority communities and civil society groups.

The motion states that there is no justification for maintaining a permanent counter-terrorism law that grants sweeping powers to the authorities.

The TNA legislator argued that existing legal provisions were sufficient to address security threats, noting that terrorism-related offences could already be prosecuted under the Penal Code.

He also pointed out that the Government retained the power to declare a state of emergency when circumstances warranted extraordinary measures, rendering a permanent anti-terrorism framework unnecessary.

Accordingly, the motion calls on Parliament to resolve that the Government take immediate steps to abolish the PTA without replacing it with legislation containing comparable powers.

The Prevention of Terrorism Act, enacted in 1979, has long been the subject of criticism from human rights organisations, civil society groups and international bodies, which have raised concerns over provisions relating to detention without trial and safeguards against abuse.