Farmers’ organisation representatives have accused Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha of misrepresenting the issue of straw burning and blaming farmers, while the minister has called for legal action against those who burn straw.
The minister made the remarks during an event in Hurugamuwa in the Mahaweli H Zone marking the commencement of deep ploughing and the expansion of paddy fields for the “Punarudayata Arunalu 2026” Maha cultivation season.
The minister said he had observed straw being burned in paddy fields while travelling from the Kekirawa area and that farmers had ignored advice to refrain from the practice.
He said legal action should be taken against those who burn straw.
Some farmers said they burn straw before the rain because a Public Health Inspector (PHI) had advised them that leaving straw piles in paddy fields could lead to an increase in rats. They said the rats could subsequently die and decompose after the rain, creating health-related problems, including the risk of leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever.
However, representatives of farmers’ organisations accused the minister of failing to address the actual problems faced by farmers. They also raised concerns over the uncontrolled sale of chemical fertiliser and toxic substances.
The farmers further claimed that they had been unable to sell Nadu, Samba and Keeri Samba paddy at the government-set prices of Rs. 120, Rs. 130 and Rs. 140, respectively, and had in many instances been forced to sell paddy at prices as low as Rs. 90.
They also accused the government of failing to fulfil pre-election promises to provide seeds, fertiliser and agricultural inputs at lower prices and to establish stable prices for agricultural produce.
