The government has yet to deliver the fertilizer subsidy promised to farmers and has further restricted it to paddy cultivation, opposition lawmaker Ranjith Maddumabandara told Parliament this week.
Speaking during the Committee Stage Debate on the 2026 Appropriation Bill under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP said the subsidy cuts were part of efforts to raise Rs 1 trillion for the Treasury.
He said the move had deepened the difficulties faced by farmers already struggling with high costs and delayed support.
Maddumabandara noted that only one major allocation had been made in the agriculture budget, Rs 500 million for the purchase of paddy dryers, which he claimed would primarily benefit paddy merchants rather than farmers themselves.
He criticized the government for failing to uphold agricultural commitments outlined in the National People’s Power (NPP) policy statement, pointing out that “inefficiency and negligence” had left farmers vulnerable.
Citing World Bank data, he said 35 percent of Sri Lankans now live below the poverty line, with farmers making up 80 percent of that group.
Although 24 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture, the sector contributes just 8.1 percent to GDP, he added, noting that roughly 150,000 people have left the industry this year alone.
Maddumabandara also said the current fertilizer allocation which had been reduced to Rs. 35 billion from Rs. 49 billion under the previous administration was inadequate, especially given the rise in the exchange rate from Rs. 138 to Rs. 310 per U.S. dollar.
He accused authorities of providing inconsistent explanations on the timing of the subsidy, adding that the Agrarian Services Department claimed it had been disbursed while the minister said it would be granted only after fertilizer had been applied to paddy fields.
He also challenged the government’s assertion that 93 percent of paddy cultivation in the Maha season had received the subsidy, amounting to Rs 6 billion.
“For 800,000 hectares, the required amount should be Rs. 12 billion,” he said, calling the official figure “false.”
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