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Not a single seed farm has been started in SL since 1990 — Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Published

5 years ago

2020/11/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

‘While seed mafia holds sway’

by Saman Indrajith

Successive governments in recent years have contributed towards total subjugation of the country’s agriculture seed market to the multinational corporations, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

Participating in the committee stage debate on budget 2021, MP Dissanayake said: “There are three main mafias in the world – the first is the pharmaceutical mafia, the second is weapons mafia and the third is seed mafia. The seed companies such as Monsanto of the US had totally subjugated the world seed market. They have been able to set up their local agents who in turn control the local seed market for a profit.

“This is a very profitable business. When a kilo of chilli seeds unloaded at Colombo harbor its CFI value is $300 (Rs. 55,000) in rupees but sold in the market at Rs 169,000. The CFI value of a kilo of papaw is 190 dollars at the harbor (Rs. 35,150) but sold at Rs. 800,000 in the market. A kilo of seed tomato is 600 dollars in its CFI value at the harbor. That means Rs. 110,000 but sold at Rs 190,000 in the market.

“A kilo of cabbage seed is at $85 in its CIF value (Rs.15,725) but sold at Rs 400,000 in the market. These figures will help you understand what is really happening. Can we break this monopoly of the seed mafia and its local agents?

“Since 1990 not a single seed farm has been started in this country. The seed farms we had were sold. Seed farms at Pelvehera, Hingurakgoda and China farm between Thamuttagama and Talawa were sold to CIC. The Mahailuppallama seed farm today is abandoned to become a forest of ipil-ipil. There was a plan to sell that too off to a Bangladesh company in 2018.

“We in Sri Lanka had a bio-diversity rich seed culture. We had varieties of pumpkin, ladies fingers, maze etc, but none of them exist now. Those varieties were suitable for the soil, environment zone and climate of those zones. None of those varieties are seen now. We have only the products coming from the seeds provided to us by the multinational corporations.

“The loss of seed culture and the subjugation to the multinational corporations is only an outcome of the sorry state prevailing. The situation of agriculture in the country today could be seen in the way the government treats the agriculture minister. Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage holds the agriculture portfolio.

“On Aug. 9 in a gazette allocating institutions to the ministries, four institutions namely the Agriculture Department, Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board, Elkaduwa Plantations Ltd and Export Agriculture Department were placed under his purview. In another gazette dated Sept. 23, the number was brought down to two. Mahindananda Aluthgamage is the first-ever agriculture Minister in the country without the Agrarian Services Board and Department of Export Agriculture under his purview. The Council for Agricultural Research Policy (CARP) is also not under his purview.

“Our nation is known since time immemorial as a civilization based on agriculture, but the contribution made by agriculture to the GDP is not sufficient today. Agriculture occupies 11 percent of lands, 25 percent of the workforce but contributes only seven percent to the GDP. Its contribution to the industries sector is 35 percent. That is the main problem of the country’s agriculture sector today.

“The second problem is the poor living conditions of the farmers. The least number of facilities in healthcare, drinking water, education, roads and housing are allocated to the farmers. They live in abject poverty as a result. They are in debt to the fertilizer shop, pesticide shop, the millers and the paddy purchasers. Their jewelry is at the pawnbrokers. They have become prey to the micro-credit companies. So the lives of farmers should not only be brought up economically but also socially if the government has any genuine intention of developing the country’s agriculture sector”.

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

9 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

10 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando