Opposition leader Niroshan Padukka claims government-friendly businessmen were tipped off about tax hikes on onions and potatoes, enabling them to import massive stocks beforehand and leaving local farmers without a market for their harvest.
Former Provincial Councilor Niroshan Padukka, convener of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya Anti-Corruption Force, alleged that the government secretly informed loyal businessmen about the impending tax increase on onions and potatoes before it was officially imposed. Speaking at the SJB office in Colombo, Padukka accused the administration of deliberately giving unfair advantages to its supporters while pushing local farmers into financial crisis.
He revealed that in the 10 days leading up to the tax announcement, government-aligned businessmen had already imported 18,000 tons of onions and 23,000 tons of potatoes into Sri Lanka. This maneuver, according to Padukka, effectively wiped out the market for local farmers who were preparing to sell their harvests.
The opposition convener stressed that local farmers, who struggle through hardships and often borrow from banks to fund their cultivation, are now being denied fair opportunities to sell their produce. Instead, the government has opened the market to what he described as “crooked traders” who enjoy preferential treatment and protection.
Padukka further charged that this administration is moving faster than even the Rajapaksa government in giving cover to these businessmen. He alleged that the same crooked business network had previously funded and strengthened the Pelawatte office of the JVP during the presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections, and that the current government continues to secure their interests at the expense of the people.
He warned that such practices are not only devastating Sri Lanka’s farming community but also entrenching a culture of corruption where political loyalty is rewarded over national interest.
