The Hon. B. Ariyawansha
2026-02-18
Hon. B. Ariyawansha raised a supplementary question highlighting that large areas of estate land in Ratnapura, specifically citing Opatawatta and Hunuwalawatta, remain undeveloped despite being held by estate companies that harvest existing tea but undertake no further cultivation. He argued that reallocating these underutilised lands to estate communities would enable them to cultivate export crops such as tea, cinnamon, and pepper, generating significant income. He called on the relevant minister to formulate a programme for allocating such fallow estate lands for productive cultivation.
Hon. Speaker, my second supplementary: Large tracts of estate land in Ratnapura—such as Opatawatta and Hunuwalawatta—lie fallow. Estate companies pluck the existing tea but do not develop these lands. If those underutilized areas were given to estate communities, they could cultivate tea, cinnamon, pepper and other export crops and earn substantial income. Will you formulate a programme to allocate such lands for cultivation?