‘We will protect farmer before consumer,’ minister says

Sri Lanka will first ensure the farmer is protected before the consumer, its Minister of Agriculture has said.

“We have to make the farmer a profit-earning person. Before we talk about the consumer, we must talk about the farmer,” Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Kuragamage Don Lalkantha said in parliament.

“If the farmer doesn’t get a good price for their crops, they will stop growing.”Before discussing the rice price, we must talk about the paddy price. That’s essential.”After that, we can discuss the cost of rice or any vegetable.”

Lalkantha said the government has a plan and a strategy.

“If we divulge it, it won’t be a plan.”It’s true that, being an agricultural nation, we had to import rice. Now, there’s no rice shortage.

”There were accusations that there was a rice shortage because it was used in the manufacture of other products, he said.“If there are more and more value-added goods created with rice, that is better. I think it’s good if rice is used in beer production.”

He said what had to be done was to ensure sufficient production.

The minister said that the yala or minor season will be brought forward because there is rain now.

“We have enough water, and the reservoirs are full, so we thought we would bring forward the yala season and start growing. We are working on that.”