News
Ousted Agriculture Secretary predicts food shortage in April
By Rathindra Kuruwita
All evidence indicated that there would be a shortage of food by April and he was only pointing at the obvious, just-ousted secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe said yesterday.
Jayasinghe said that only a miracle would prevent such a shortage unless the country took urgent steps to avert it.
“Food security and sovereignty are two of my main areas of research. If I can’t make an obvious forecast there is no point in my expertise. President Rajapaksa himself has told me that educating the people is one of my responsibilities,” he said.
The former secretary said that the government should tell people the truth and take concrete steps to prepare the public to face a period of crisis.
“We have to warn the people now. There is no point in waiting till March 2022 and say that we are in trouble. It will be too late. We must warn farmers and the consumers and to take precautions and make use of the the next three months to ensure that there won’t be any shortages. This is why I said that there will be a shortage, I was not trying to undermine the government,” he said.
Prof. Jayasinghe said that doctors often warned of possible health crises and when such warnings were given the government and the community took certain steps to prevent adverse outcomes. When one looked at the extent of agricultural lands and the quality of farms, it was obvious that there would be a drop in the yield.
“You don’t blame doctors for warning about dengue. There is no point in blaming me for telling the obvious. The people know the truth, only pen pushers might want to hide this,” he said.
Prof. Jayasinghe added that he had not been informed why he had been removed from his post, and his successor, D. M. L. D. Bandaranaike, was a colleague of his.
“I feel bad about being removed from the post because I have spent a lot of time making certain adjustments. During meetings with the Minister of Agriculture we often discussed the matter of food shortages. Apart from the people who want to pretend otherwise, everyone knows we are headed for a crisis,” he said.
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.
Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
Latest News
Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.
The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.
According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.
Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.
The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.
In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.
The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.
The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.
Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
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