Hon. Athula Welandagoda

Hon. Athula Welandagoda defended the Government's handling of several regulatory instruments, including SCL regulations, a Customs Ordinance resolution, and Motor Traffic orders, contrasting what he described as the Government's evidence-based approach with what he characterised as unfounded Opposition allegations. He cited paddy procurement figures from the last Yala season—43,861 metric tons across 16 districts at guaranteed prices ranging from Rs. 120/kg to Rs. 132/kg depending on variety—as evidence of effective agricultural policy. The speaker also referenced the AT-378 rice variety developed at the Ambalantota Rice Research Institute, yielding 12–14 metric tons per hectare, and cited broader macroeconomic improvements including a reduction in inflation from approximately 70 percent to 2 percent and GDP growth of around 5 percent as indicators of national stabilisation.