“The farmers have to take to the streets to do their cultivation and also to sell their produce. Maithri – Ranil government must listen to the demands of the farmer community. If the government is not prepared to listen to the farmer community we would take steps to guide All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation lead by Comrade Namal Karunaratna to carry out agitations with the participation of farmers in all cultivating areas. Soon the farm lands would become battle fronts. We affirm to the people in the country and specially to farmer community that the struggle would not be let down until the struggle for fertilizer subsidy is won. This is a struggle that we should win. We call upon the whole farmer community to rally with us to win the struggle,” said the Leader of the JVP Comrade Anura Dissanayaka speaking at a media conference held at the head office of the JVP at Pelawatta today (3rd). The National Organizer of All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation Comrade Namal Karunaratna too was present.
Comrade Anura Dissanayaka said, “Agriculture in the country and the farmer community are confronted with a serious fatality due to the agricultural policy of this government. The policy of the previous government as well as the present one is to take the country towards a service economy instead of the needed production economy. As a result the service portion of GDP has risen to 56%. Currently, the portion of agriculture has come down to 10.5%. The production economy has been broken down. We have to import products worth US$19 billion. About 7 million people in our country depend on agriculture. It could be more. In areas such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa even state employees engage in agriculture for an additional income. As such, the number engaged in indirect agriculture is bigger.
The provisions, facilities and subsidies given to agriculture have been slashed throughout the past. Allocations for seed farms are slashed and many are closed down. The fertilizer subsidy is slashed. Farmers have to buy seeds from the private sector at exorbitant prices. Normally, the harvesting season is the time that the farmer is happy. However, the farmer has to take to the streets to get his harvest sold. The harvesting season has become a time to mourn.
Now the fertilizer subsidy has been slashed. Fertilizer subsidy is not an idea that perceived by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. When fertilizer subsidy was cut in 2005 All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation engaged in a fast unto death. It was made a political slogan. As such, the UPFA government and Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa had to make available fertilizer at Rs.350 a bag. However, previous Mahinda Rajapaksa regime increased the price of fertilizer by introducing a so-called insurance of Rs.150 for a bag of fertilizer thereby increasing the price to Rs.500. The present regime too is going along the path taken by Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. They have taken steps to slash the fertilizer subsidy. Until now farmers were given a bag of fertilizer at Rs.500 for paddy fields up to 5 acres. Fertilizer for other crops were given at Rs.1200 a bag at open market. The present regime slashed the subsidy in two ways. One is according to the extent of land. earlier the subsidy was until 5 acres. Now it has been reduced to 2 1/2 acres. On the other hand the price of fertilizer was increased to Rs.3500 a bag. Instead of the fertilizer subsidy it was proposed to pay Rs.25,000 for 2 1/2 acres for a year. this means Rs.12,500 for a season; Rs.5000 for an acre.
The government in its budget said fertilizer for other crops had to be bought at the open market. That means they have to buy at Rs.3200 a bag. when farmers agitated the limit of 2 1/2 acres was increased to 5 acres. The budget was presented after the President, the Prime Minister and the cabinet had approved the move to limit fertilizer subsidy for 2 1/2 acres. However, the government had to change its stance when farmers started agitating. the 2 1/2 acre limit had to be increased to 5 acres. it was said that the price of a bag of fertilizer would be brought down to Rs.2500. However, the slashing of the subsidy continued. A farmer who had to spend Rs.500 for a field of 5 acres spent only Rs.2500 for 5 acres. Now, at the rate of Rs.2500 a bag the farmer had to spend Rs. 12,500. However, the government gives only Rs.5000 as the subsidy. this means the farmer has to pay an extra Rs.7500 from his pocket.
Making available subsidy for agriculture is not charity. It is not like giving relief to the handicapped. It is an investment to develop agriculture in the country. Countries such as the USA, Japan, which this government considers as models, provide subsidies for agriculture. The USA makes available US$29 billion while Japan makes available US$44 to raise the standard of agriculture in their countries. In India seeds are made available at very low prices and power for agriculture has been made vary cheap. This is what should happen. when fertilizer is given at a low price it is a subsidy. This lowers the production cost and the advantage is for the consumer. In this way the relief is for the whole country. this is not an issue that affect only paddy farmers. It is a slash that affects all farmers that cultivate paddy, tea, coconut, rubber, vegetables and other crops. If the government slashes fertilizer subsidy the consume r who buys rice, vegetables, fruits etc will have to buy them at increased prices.
We started agitations against slashing of fertilizer subsidy with the presentation of the budget to Parliament. At that time the farmers did not feel the affect of the move very much. However, we went round the country, from village to village, apprising the farmers. The ‘Kamath Sabhawa’ (Thrashing-floor gathering) was one such step. In farmer colonies and districts we commenced a dialogue with farmers through ‘Kamath Sabhawa’;we recruited members to our All Ceylon Farmer s’Federation. We strengthened our organizations. As such, we were able to launch a series of agitations against the slashing of fertilizer subsidy. Yesterday farmer s encircled the residence of the Minister of Agriculture and engaged in a massive agitation. If the government behaves stubbornly there would be farmer agitations throughout the country. Earlier, when farmer s came to Colombo some in the government carried on a mud slinging campaign saying they were not farmers. They said farmers would not come to Colombo. they would be happy if farmers would never come to Colombo. We would like to ask President Maithripala Sirisena whether those who came to the agitation at Kaduruwela- his native village were not farmers.
The government comes out with various stories to conceal the real intention of breaking down production. The government is attempting to use carbonic fertilizer as an excuse to slash fertilizer subsidy. If so, why didn’t the government have a programme to produce carbonic fertilizer? This is not a question regarding a packet of carbonic fertilizer used to grow flowers in ones garden. Carbonic fertilizer is available in 500 grams or 1 kilo packets to be used for home gardening. However, does the government have a plan to produce carbonic fertilizer for acres and acres of paddy lands? Who is responsible for the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in such fertilizer? There is no issue if bags of carbonic fertilizer with such standard are made available. However, the government does not have a plan or a policy for such a production. the plan of the government is to slash fertilizer subsidy and save money.
There is also the issue of marketing the harvest of paddy. The government should buy the surplus stocks and store it when harvesting takes place. this should be made available to the consumer before the next harvesting season. However, the government had no such plan. now, stores are being emptied when harvesting takes place for ‘maha’ season. As a result the price of paddy hits rock bottom. What is in the paddy – rice market at present is a distortion. Normally when the price of paddy is low the price of rice should go down. When the price of paddy is high the price of rice too would go up. However, even when the price of paddy has hit rock bottom the price of rice has gone up. How could this be? It is because the price of paddy is decided by a few mill owners. As such, the government should intervene to stop this distortion.
The farmers have to take to the streets to do their cultivations and also to sell their produce. Maithri – Ranil government must listen to the demands of the farmer community. If the government is not prepared to listen to the farmer community we would take steps to guide All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation lead by Comrade Namal Karunaratna to carry out agitations with the participation of farmers in all cultivating areas. Soon the farm lands would become battle fronts. We affirm to the people in the country and specially to farmer community that the struggle would not be let down until the struggle for fertilizer subsidy is won. This is a struggle that we should win. We call upon the whole farmer community to rally with us to win the struggle.”