Agriculture debate in P’ment gets muddy

Wednesday, 11 December 2013 01:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

UNP asks what happened to Govisetha lottery funds aimed at pension scheme for farmers
Snubs Govt, for providing tax relief for imported dog food instead of supporting farmers
PM defends tax relief on pet food
Fertiliser subsidies slashed, says Opposition
Govt. ally JHU slaps lack of focus on agriculture in Budget 2014

By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent Government and Opposition Parliament-arians clashed yesterday over the defunct pension scheme for farmers and insufficient support provided to develop the agriculture sector in the country. Moving the debate, UNP MP P. Harrison accused the Government of providing tax concessions for pet food instead of giving relief to farmers. “The Govisetha lottery was established to provide a support to the farmers’ pension scheme. What happened to Govisetha lottery funds? These monies could have been used to pay farmers’ pensions. You promised to give fertiliser for Rs. 350. The fertiliser subsidy in 2012 was Rs. 36,446 million, this year it has come down to Rs. 18,763 million. But from where can you buy this fertiliser? Tax on tractors has increased by 7.5%, which has escalated the price by at least Rs. 100,000. Everything that is required for farming, including the machinery, seeds and fertiliser are unaffordable,” the Opposition MP charged. He said the Government Ministry of Agriculture had been reduced to nothing more than an institution that packs seeds imported from Thailand to sell in Sri Lanka. Harrison said even banana and mango crops were being affected. “With the use of carbide, the quality of these fruits has reduced. These fruits no longer face the natural ripening process,” he said. Responding during the debate, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne justified the tax given for dog food. “Feeding the dogs is a very important thing. Not only food, it is good to give them clothes too. The Police has already given their dogs uniforms. When it comes to pension for farmers this year, the eligibility to receive payment was increased to 63 years. I suggest increasing it to 65 years in 2014. Next time you will ask us to give the amude. We can’t give you the amude, go find it yourself,” the Premier said. Meanwhile, the Government’s Coalition ally the Jathika Hela Urumaya also criticised the 2014 Budget for not focusing on agriculture. JHU MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero said the harvest and acreage of paddy fields has increased. “But the quality has dropped drastically. The Seed and Plant Material Bill is an issue that needs to be discussed further. This Bill prevents farmers from selling their seeds to another farmer and this Bill also prevents them from protesting about seeds and related matters. This has been presented to the Cabinet of Ministers but is yet to be enacted,” said MP Rathana Thero. Joining the debate, JVP Legislator Anura Dissanayake offered a suggestion to the Premier that he stops importing heroin, after an official from the Prime Minister’s Office recently asked for tax concessions for a container containing a massive heroin haul. “He suggests that farmers continue in agriculture while his son goes to the Provincial Council. We all have dogs at home and they are fed from what is cooked at home. I think it is the Prime Minister who feeds his dogs with the imported pet foods,” Dissanayake charged.

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