Hon. Namal Karunaratne

Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne acknowledged an existing issue concerning the supervisory allowance, stating that discussions to resolve the matter have already begun. He assured that a solution would be provided to the Assistants in due course.

Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne responded to questions regarding delays in fertilizer subsidy disbursements and agricultural compensation payments, attributing the issues primarily to a shortage of approximately 4,000 officers resulting from recruitment gaps under previous governments, which the current government has committed to addressing. He noted that the "B25" cyclone significantly increased the workload of agricultural departments, and highlighted that the current government expanded crop compensation coverage to include all crops and livestock, compared to approximately six crop types under previous administrations. The Deputy Minister also confirmed that tank rehabilitation works — including repairs to bunds, sluices, and canals damaged by Cyclone "Ditsha" — are underway with allocated funds. He indicated that other identified departmental issues are being resolved systematically.

## Summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne provided a written response outlining the administrative framework governing **Agricultural Research and Production Assistants (ARPAs)**, appointed under the recruitment procedure approved on **25 July 2013**. He confirmed that ARPAs have been assigned duties and responsibilities under the **Agrarian Development Act, No. 46 of 2000**, with a formal duty list issued accordingly, though no research activities have been assigned to them by the Department to date. Regarding performance evaluation, District Offices have been directed to use standardised reporting formats, with ARPAs at divisional level responsible for data collection and field-level coordination with relevant parties. Supporting annexures detailing cadre structure, duty lists, and evaluation procedures were placed in the parliamentary library.

The speech fragment is too brief to summarize meaningfully, containing only a single procedural statement in which the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Hon. Namal Karunaratne, indicated he was in the process of responding to a Question. No substantive argument, proposal, or policy position is presented in the excerpt provided.

Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, responding on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, provided information regarding the deployment of Agrarian Research and Production Assistants (ARPAs) across Sri Lanka's districts. He noted that ARPA divisions are demarcated along Grama Niladhari Division boundaries and are assigned across all provinces except the Northern and Eastern Provinces, where coverage is limited due to existing vacancies. The district-wise breakdown of ARPAs as of 31 December 2025 was referred to an annex, with the Department of Agrarian Development identified as the responsible institution and the "Agrarian Development Officer" as the designated head of each Agrarian Service Centre.

## Summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne spoke in support of a Bill to abolish the parliamentary pension scheme, framing it as the fulfilment of an electoral mandate rather than political revenge against the Opposition. He argued that the ruling party's 159 MPs, including those already eligible for pensions, are voluntarily foregoing their own entitlements, and cited additional benefit reductions — including presidential perks, multi-post allowances, and MP insurance coverage — as evidence of a broader commitment to reducing parliamentary privilege. Drawing on the ideological heritage of the party's founder Rohana Wijeweera, he characterised these measures as consistent with a political culture of self-sacrifice and collective purpose. He acknowledged the government is only in its second year of a five-year mandate and indicated that former members facing genuine hardship may apply to the Government for support on a case-by-case basis.

Hon. Namal Karunaratne outlined changes to the government's agricultural fertilizer subsidy program, noting that the subsidy was increased to Rs. 20,000 for two hectares and extended to farmers cultivating interim crops on paddy lands. He explained that the payment method was reformed to release the first tranche of funds *before* cultivation begins, with the second tranche conditional on confirmation that cultivation has commenced. He acknowledged delays in the second tranche, attributing them to cyclone-related disruptions, over 4,000 vacancies in Agriculture Research and Production Assistant posts creating staff shortages, and logistical challenges in verifying cultivation commencement across different regional timings. He confirmed that disbursement has since been regularized and all fertilizer subsidy funds would reach farmers within the coming days.

Hon. Namal Karunaratne acknowledged the existence of corrupt practices and malpractices, including under-the-table transactions, in processes related to land use or land filling activities. He stated that the relevant Department has issued a new circular to regulate and rectify these issues. He emphasized the need to balance legitimate land change requirements with the prevention of environmental damage caused by indiscriminate filling, with the new circular intended to ensure proper implementation of this process.

## Summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, responding on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, provided a written parliamentary answer regarding approvals for the conversion of paddy lands in the Anuradhapura District. He confirmed that no approvals were granted in 2024, while in 2025, five approvals were issued under the Agrarian Development Act No. 46 of 2000 (as amended in 2011), all for the construction of business premises on a total extent of 33.0 perches. Supporting documentation was submitted as an annexure and placed in the Parliamentary Library.

Deputy Minister Karunaratne outlined improvements to fertilizer assistance and crop compensation schemes introduced since the current government took office. On fertilizer support, payments for paddy land have increased from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 50,000 per two hectares, with a new Rs. 30,000 payment introduced for intercrops on paddy lands that were previously uncompensated; he attributed delays in disbursement to the "8960" cyclone and a shortage of approximately 4,000 Agricultural Research and Production Assistants, with recruitment underway to address the shortfall. On compensation, eligibility has been expanded beyond the previous six covered crops to include a broad range of vegetables and fruits, paddy compensation has been raised from Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 60,000 per acre, and vegetable growers now receive Rs. 80,000 per acre where previously no compensation was paid; livestock compensation rates were also detailed. The Deputy Minister assured that funds have been allocated and invited affected farmers who have not yet received due compensation to come forward.