Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday (14) that the National People's Power (NPP) had relied heavily on farmers to build its political movement, but had failed to protect them after coming to power.
He said the government was continuously insulting and oppressing the farmers of the country, and that the very farmers who had voted for the government in their millions had today been reduced to Kasippu, or illicit moonshine, drinkers and artificial farmers.
He observed that the farmer who had once been an asset to the NPP had now become a headache for the party.
Premadasa said farmers were struggling to survive because government policy kept the fixed buying price for paddy lower than the actual cost of production, resulting in substantial financial losses for the agricultural community.
He pointed out that while in opposition, the NPP had praised farmers as gods and promised them high guaranteed paddy prices, at one point as much as Rs. 150 per kilogram, yet its own administration had since announced a considerably lower guaranteed price of Rs. 120 per kilogram for Nadu paddy.
He said farmers were producing paddy at a loss of Rs. 137 per kilogram, even as the state guaranteed price remained fixed at just Rs. 120.
The Opposition Leader criticised what he described as a lack of support for farmers amid compounding crises, including supply shortages and the ongoing human elephant conflict.
He said farmers were struggling to secure even the most essential agricultural supplies, with widespread reports of shortages and high costs for seed paddy, quality fertiliser and agrochemicals, while the price of farming machinery and equipment continued to escalate.
Premadasa accused the government of betraying the agricultural community, adding that farmers were being left exposed to exploitation by private millers, as last season's paddy remained trapped in harvest centres, pushing many cultivators further into debt.
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