The Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Livestock Development, and Irrigation, K.D. Lal Kantha stated that Sri Lanka has not developed a proper concept of 'wildlife management', which is a major cause of the ongoing human-wildlife conflict.

Speaking in the Parliament during the ministry’s Budget debate yesterday (12), he explained that the scheduled monkey census is merely an experimental step. He emphasised that a step must be taken, regardless of its success, to move forward. “This could be right or wrong, but we must try a method to get a rough idea of the wildlife population. I don’t think that this will be successful on the first attempt. Sometimes, we may have to do it repeatedly. The ministry is conducting this as it is directly related to farmers,” he added. 

He further stated that Sri Lanka has lacked a proper wildlife management system for the past 76 years. “It is very shameful to say this. However, if we want to manage these issues, we need information. That is why we are conducting this census,” he said.

He also responded to concerns raised by farmers and various groups regarding the use of rice in other products, such as beer. “Some have questioned the considerable amount of rice used for other products. Personally, I am happy that rice is being used to produce items such as rice cakes, biscuits, and even alcohol. We must develop the capacity to produce rice in sufficient quantities to meet these demands as well,” he said.