Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says the government has betrayed Sri Lankan farmers by failing to implement a promised guaranteed price for paddy, despite being in office for two years.
Speaking at an event in Devahuwa, Galewela, to donate a water purification system to a local community organisation, Premadasa pointed out that while the Agriculture Minister stated in Parliament that producing a kilo of paddy costs Rs. 137, the government fixed the guaranteed price at just Rs. 120 per kilo, imposing a Rs. 17 loss on farmers for every kilo produced.
The Opposition Leader criticised the government for importing 382,000 metric tonnes of rice despite the country producing 3.2 million metric tonnes against an annual requirement of 2.5 million metric tonnes.
He stated that while paddy, maize, and potato farmers were left destitute, the NPP government prioritized raising the retirement age of judges over addressing the immediate economic hardships of the public.
Warning of future environmental challenges, the Opposition Leader highlighted that extreme weather events like El Niño and La Niña could dry up water sources, pushing national poverty levels to between 30 and 40 per cent and threatening factory closures.
Addressing his party's record, Premadasa claimed that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya remains the only political party to serve the public using non-state resources while in opposition since independence, expressing confidence that political truth would prevail by 2029 despite social media campaign attacks.
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