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Tea, coconut, and rubber is being promoted more and are to get comparably commendable prices under the present government, unlike during the previous Good Governance Government, Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana said in Parliament, yesterday.
He pointed out that the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has taken measures to strengthen plantations, agriculture, and local manufacturing processes that were affected by the 1977 open economy.
He also said that although tourism, apparel, and many other industries saw drawbacks with the fall of the global economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plantation industry could have been able to show its developments. He added that although the annual tea production remains unchanged, in the 290 to 300 million kilogram range, the income has increased.
He made these observations joining the Committee Stage Debate regarding the Fisheries Ministry, ornamental fish, inland fish and prawn farming, fishery harbour development, multiday fishing activities, fish exports, plantations, and tea and rubber-related crop cultivation under the 2021 Budget Debate.
Factory modernisation, coconut, palmyrah cultivation, industrial product manufacturing and export diversification, development of minor crops (including sugarcane, maize, cashew, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and betel), land management and development, and state enterprises were also discussed during the debate.
He said that although the Opposition spoke about the shortage of quality tea saplings, the Tea Board and the Small Tea Estate Development Authority, within this year, have been able to set up 500 nurseries to provide quality saplings to the planters. He added soon, the number of nurseries would be increased to 1,000. He also pointed out that concessions are provided to new tea plantations, as well as for replanting.
Plantation Minister Pathirana said the country has been able to conduct the tea auction online for the first time in its 137-year history of tea-planting, and that both the demand and the prices have increased. He said, “Although we cannot compete with Kenya and China, quantitatively, we can promote and protect the brand name of ‘Ceylon Tea’, which is of high quality. We have already initiated to register the ‘Ceylon Tea’ brand name and hope that it will be finalised by next year.”
The minister said that as a measure to protect the brand name of ‘Ceylon Tea’, the government has banned 23 factories that were caught tampering with tea products, this year. He added that as a measure to develop plantations, the government is to give concessionary loans for the provision of irrigation water to tea, rubber, and coconut estates, as it has become necessary with current changes in weather patterns.
He added that due to the previous government’s carelessness, rubber-tapping in the country dropped, while rubber imports rose. Hence, the present government has imposed import limitations and increased the price of rubber. As the quality of Sri Lankan rubber is very high, a foreign company came to Sri Lanka to invest in a tyre factory in the vicinity of the Hambantota Port. The investment is USD 300 million. He added that a leading company called ‘Hanna’ in USA has got BOI approval for a rubber plantation in Sri Lanka, of which the investment is USD 1 billion.
He said that as the demand for Sri Lankan coconuts in USA and Europe is high due to their high quality, the government encourages the public to cultivate coconuts in their home gardens. The government is to distribute four million coconut saplings among people across the country for this endeavour, he added.
Pathirana said that although the Opposition has raised questions regarding coconut production, it should be noted that around 1,065 acres of coconut lands were fragmented during the past four years under the Good Governance Government, with the approval of the Fragmentation Board.
The minister said that so far, the present government has only fragmented 16 acres of coconut lands. He added that the State Plantation Corporation, which incurred losses during the previous government’s rule, has now gained profits.
Out of the 167 factories that are there in the Nuwara Eliya District, 35 of them are closed; there needs to be accountability for these factories, Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure State Minister Jeewan Thondaman said.
Joining the Committee Stage Debate of the 2021 Budget in Parliament, yesterday, where the expenditure of the Ministries of Fisheries, Plantations, and Lands was taken up, Thondaman expressed hope that under the leadership of Minister Kanaka Herath, proper solutions could be found. He also expressed his views regarding the modernisation of the tea and rubber factories.
“Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the world that produce crepe rubber. This industry needs to be protected. Furthermore, it’s feasible to provide solar power to these factories,” he said.
Referring to claims by the Opposition that a plantation company spokesperson had said they cannot give the Rs.1,000 to estate works, he said it was the same person who had given a statement to a newspaper recently claiming that they are the ones who had provided 39,000 houses for estate workers.
The state minister said that the money for the construction of these houses and infrastructure had come from the government, and that ‘not a single cent’ had been spent by that company. “Not only housing, but roads, hospitals, and schools. Hence, his credibility is questionable.”
State Minister Thondaman also commended the news that the quality of tea was to be focused on by the government. “I was happy to hear Minister Ramesh Pathirana speak about the prevention of additives, and adulteration.”
He also noted that the productivity of the plantation sector needs to be increased, having seen a drop in it over the past ten years. For productivity to be improved, workers’ welfare must be looked after.
It is only if workers are content that the productivity will increase and thereby, the plantation companies survive, the minister added.
Thondaman said that factories and plantations, as well as the people working at them, are assets to the nation. “Therefore, this must be followed through. Right now, many companies are of the view that these are assets of the plantation; that is not right. They have lost sight of the human aspect of the company—that is one of the reasons why plantation work is on the decline,” he noted.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena refused to allow a question to be raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Chaminda Wijesiri on India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s visit to Sri Lanka.
During the fifth day of the Committee Stage Debate for the 2021 Budget in Parliament, yesterday, SJB MP Chaminda Wijesiri raised a question regarding the visit of Doval, and whether it had any connection to the Colombo Port East Terminal.
However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena refused the MP to proceed with his question and asked him to request a date for it.
The Speaker noted that he could not allow Wijesiri to raise that question, saying it was not in line with the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Wijesiri objected, saying he had a right to raise the matter, but the Speaker told the MP he needs to request for a date to raise the question as it was not in the original agenda of the day.
The Speaker said that an MP could only stand up and raise a question in Parliament, if his name has been mentioned, or if it was something that affects him personally.
He said Wijesiri was “just wasting time”.
India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, arrived in Colombo to attend the 4th National Security Adviser (NSA) Level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation between India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka; which is on November 27 and 28, in Colombo.
It has been planned to establish a university, bringing together all the five research centres under the Plantation sector, to produce more researchers for the industry; Company Estate Reforms, Tea and Rubber Estates Related Crops Cultivation and Factories Modernisation and Tea, and Rubber Export Promotion State Minister Kanaka Herath said in Parliament, yesterday.
He said that the Tea Research Institute, Rubber Research Institute, Coconut Research Institute, Sugarcane Research Institute, and National Institute of Plantation Management is planning to establish the university and recruit around 100 students, annually.
Herath added that it is planned to provide around 5 million saplings among the small-scale tea planters as well. The state minister said that they have commenced planting tea in coconut cultivations as well.
Herath said Rs.2.25 billion has been allocated for tea-replanting. He added that it is expected to increase the concession of Rs.500,000 for small tea estate planters to Rs.750,000 or Rs.1 million. He said, “The contribution of tea estates is 25%; we have initiated to review them and take due action. He added with assistance from the Arthur C. Clarke Centre, it is expected to evaluate the land extension that they have planted.
He said only 2% of those involved in the industry are engaged in producing substandard tea, and that they have been prevented from doing so with the assistance of intelligence and the STF.
State Minister Herath said that only 50% of the country’s rubber requirement is supplied by our cultivations. He added that another 10% could be added if the rubber cultivations that have been abandoned due to low prices were again tapped. He added that a sum of Rs.1.57 billion has been allocated for this purpose. Herath said so joining the Committee Stage Debate regarding ornamental fish, inland fish and prawn farming, fishery harbour development, multiday fishing, estate reforms, crops cultivation and factory modernisation, industrial product manufacturing, export diversification, minor crop development, land management, state enterprises, as well as land and property development under the 2021 Budget discussion.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, raising a question under Standing Order 27/2, asked the government as to what solutions have been given to grieving depositors who trusted their money with ‘The Finance Company’, which is now “at a crisis”.
Opposition Leader Premadasa, in Parliament, yesterday, pointed out, “Founded in 1940 as the first finance company in Sri Lanka, ‘The Finance Company’ has been gaining public trust for decades, providing unparalleled service to the financial sector and growing with high value in the stock market.”
“However, due to the crisis in the Ceylinco Group in 2009, the company was taken over by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, following a Cabinet decision. Thereafter, the Chairman, Board of Directors, CEOs, and Administrative Representatives of the company were appointed by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. When taken over by the Central Bank, the company, which was successful before with more assets than liabilities, is now in an unfortunate state of decline,” he said.
The company has stopped paying monthly interests to depositors with immediate effect from March, 2020; and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has revoked the company’s licence from May 22.
As a result, more than 10,000 depositors of ‘The Finance Company’ have been unable to make a living due to non-receipt of interests on deposits for six months,” Premadasa said.
He pointed out, “About 80% of these depositors are senior citizens, most of whom make a living through interest money. These people, who have deposited money in the company to pay for their retirement—for their children's education, marriage, and other activities—are now in serious difficulty.”
“These depositors have continued to lodge their complaints with the government, but the government has not yet proposed a satisfactory solution. People will place their hard-earned money over a lifetime with great confidence in the deposit companies regulated and controlled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The current situation will further erode the confidence of the deposit companies, too,” he said.
Premadasa questioned, “Has the government decided to liquidate ‘The Finance Company’? If so, what were the factors that influenced that decision? If liquidated, will the government ensure the security of depositors’ funds of more than Rs.16 billion will be provided to them? If not, will the House be informed of the steps that the government will take to resolve this crisis? A state minister recently stated that a Cabinet paper has been submitted to restructure the company, but for some reason, no decision has been taken so far.”
“According to him, what was mentioned in that Cabinet paper? Why has its decision not been announced yet? Is the government aware that it is possible to revitalise this valuable institution by providing the necessary liquidity funding, identifying a suitable strategic investor, or affiliating with public financial institutions? If so, why has no clear solution been found so far?” he asked.
The Opposition Leader added, “Has the government identified a strategic investor on behalf of the company to address this crisis and focused on opportunities to stabilise the company? If so, will the House be informed of the current progress in this regard? If not, why has the government not yet identified a strategic investor?”
“Will the government make arrangements to expedite the payment of arrears of interest due on the deposits of ‘The Finance Company’? Are government funds being used for this? If so, why are the necessary financial provisions not provided in the 2021 Budget?” he asked.
Premadasa said, “Unlike other financial institutions that have been in crisis in this way, as ‘The Finance Company’ was under the control of the Central Bank, will it take responsibility for the collapse of this institution?”
Over the past few days, there have been claims that the government has imposed a 15% tax on sanitary pads. This is a false claim, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said in Parliament, yesterday.
During the 2021 Budget Debate, he said that previously, a 30% tax had been imposed on imported sanitary pads. “The only change that the government made was to impose a 15% import tax and 15% Cess tax. There has not been any change in the tax on sanitary pads, themselves.”
He said the move was made in order to promote locally-manufactured sanitary pads that are in line with the quality of imported ones. “I summoned all the heads of companies that produce sanitary pads, and they have told me that they have the capacity to meet the current demand—and even further demand—by promoting self-hygiene in rural areas,” the minister said. Gunawardena said that the difference between the present government and the previous one is that the previous government imported almost everything, from sanitary pads to even joss sticks.
“Our policy is to promote local industries and produce whatever is possible locally, instead of importing everything. Therefore, I state with responsibility that there has not been any tax increase on sanitary pads,” he added.
The government has plans to uplift the fishing industry through the renovation of infrastructure and the provision of an insurance scheme and pension plan,Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda said in Parliament, yesterday. He said this joining the Committee Stage Debate regarding the 2021 Budget.Minister Devananda said that all required technological facilities will be made available at all fishing harbours; including Point Pedro, Gurunagar, Pesalai, and Valaichenai. He added that fisherfolk would be encouraged with the aforesaid plans.
Devananda said that countermeasures have been taken to improve fishing activities which were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the Oluvil harbor has been turned to a fisheries harbor, and that similar projects are to be launched at Point Pedro, Gurunagar, and Pesalai as well.
The minister stated that the government plans to set up harbours at selected places such as Gandara, Vellamankara, Balapitiya, Hikkaduwa, Ambalangoda, Galle, Mirisaa, Nilaweli, Hambantota, Sudhuwella, Thodanthuva, Mayilliti, and Valaichenai. Minister Devananda added that plans are afoot to provide training to fisherfolk in the Northern and Eastern provinces for deep sea fishing. He added that the government would provide the necessary equipment for it as well.Minister Devananda also noted that communities would be encouraged to do freshwater fish farming. The government is carrying out research at present before planning these projects, he added.
The introduction of an insurance policy for fishermen, training youth at the Ocean University, encouraging females to contribute to the industry, establishing fishing societies, rejuvenating fishermen’s cooperative societies that are not functional, and providing loan facilities and pension are some of the measures that will be taken by the government to strengthen the fishing industry, Minister Devananda added.
Actions will also be taken to stop illegal fishing activities in both fresh and salt water under new restrictions, he said. Local fisherfolk have been badly affected due Indian fishermen trespassing on Sri Lanka’s territorial waters; measures to prevent such issues are being discussed, the minister added.
Education Minister Professor G.L. Peiris stated in Parliament, yesterday, that priority will be given to areas under divisional secretariats that do not have a single national school when establishing new national schools in the country.
Responding to a question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP S.M. Marikkar during the oral questions round, the professor said that such a programme is already in place.The minister added that the Central Government is paying special attention to provincial schools, as provincial councils are not functioning properly due to the postponement of the PC Election during the past few years.
Fishery should be included in the school syllabus as a subject to eliminate any social misconception about the industry, National People’s Power MP Vijitha Herath said in Parliament, yesterday.
Joining the Committee Stage Debate on the Fisheries Ministry and several other ministries on small and medium-scale industries, MP Herath pointed out that Sri Lanka, despite being an island nation, has failed when in the fishing industry. MP Herath said, “Island nations such as Sri Lanka have made fishing one of their main industries. We have an ocean eight times larger than our land and extensive freshwater resources. However, with all those resources, Sri Lanka has failed to make fishing one of its main industries. We always claim that we are an agricultural economy. However, we have never been able to say that we are a country that thrives on the fishing industry.
“The lack of infrastructure facilities, policies, and positive attitudes has caused us this predicament. The fishing community should be given due recognition and necessary facilities if we want this industry to improve. Due to issues such as social acceptance, the new generation is reluctant to join this industry. Only about 300,000 families are involved in the fishing industry,” he said.
“If we take agriculture, it is a subject that is included in school syllabus. However, fishery, as a subject, is not included in the syllabus. If added, it will diminish negative attitudes towards the industry, and those who want to get involved in the industry will gain more theoretical knowledge on the subject,” the MP said.“This is how we can improve like Norway and Japan that have excelled in the fishing industry. Fishing harbours must be developed and proper storage facilities should be provided as well,” Herath said.
Minister of Lands S.M. Chandrasena said the Land Development Ordinance will be revised soon, and that he intends to submit the proposal to Cabinet and have it approved.
He said that although every citizen has the right to own a plot of land, the process of obtaining a plot of land is a long-drawn process that could take years.
The government’s policy is to grow everything that can be grown on our own, and 16 crops have been identified where the government has ensured a certified price for them. Hence, he said the lands required for cultivation should be given to farmers, and that the government is formulating a mechanism for it. Chandrasena also said that the President has instructed to engage youth in agriculture activities and provide them 100,000 lands for them to cultivate. However, the minister said that when applications were called, they had received around 600,000 applications. The majority of applications were from the North-Central Province, he added. The minister assured that all provinces would be provided lands without any discrimination.
He also noted that lands have been requested for projects, adding that interested parties should produce a project proposal and the government would conduct periodic checks to ensure that the lands given are being utilised productively.
The minister said some businessmen from Colombo obtain lands and fence them, and that those lands are left idling thereafter.
He said that an investigation would be carried out and all such lands which are being kept idling without being made use of would be taken back and given to farmers who could utilise them productively.
Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2020/11/28/political/234676/parliament
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