Speaker of parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne today (06) endorsed the Promotion of Export Agriculture (Amendment) Bill, officially making it Act No. 24 of 2026.
The new law updates the legal and administrative framework of the original Promotion of Export Agriculture Act of 1992. Originally presented to Parliament on August 7 by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha, the legislation modernizes the department’s leadership structure by replacing the title of “Director” with “Director-General,” alongside new roles including Additional Director-General, Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director.
Additionally, the Act broadens the definition of “export agricultural crop” to include crops with export potential alongside domestic use, while expressly excluding staple crops like paddy, vegetables, fruits, root crops, certain food crops and traditional plantation crops. (Newswire)