The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) expects to purchase 39,500 metric tons of paddy during the current cultivation season, with procurement set to commence on Monday (13), Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced.
Speaking at the Cabinet Decisions Media Briefing held today (07) at the Department of Government Information, the Minister said paddy will be purchased through 143 storage facilities located across the North Western, Northern, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Southern, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Badulla and Monaragala districts.
He also noted that the Government has allocated Rs. 10 billion in concessionary loans to enable small and medium-scale entrepreneurs to participate in paddy purchasing activities.
According to the Minister, the current guaranteed prices are Rs. 120 per kilogram for Nadu, Rs. 130 for Samba and Rs. 140 for Keeri Samba paddy.
Dr. Jayatissa acknowledged that shortages of certain rice varieties exist and stated that imports may be permitted if necessary. However, he emphasized that protecting local farmers remains the Government’s top priority.
“The harvest of local farmers will be given first priority, and rice imports will only be considered if domestic production is insufficient to meet market demand,” he said.
The Minister further stated that Government-owned warehouses have adequate storage capacity, while the private sector is also actively engaged in large-scale paddy purchasing. He expressed confidence that the Government’s guaranteed prices would encourage private buyers to offer competitive rates to farmers.
He added that several proposals are being considered to support the sector, including measures related to animal feed production. The Government, he said, is seeking to manage the market through strategic paddy procurement while balancing consumer demand and domestic production.
Dr. Jayatissa noted that there remains a mismatch between consumer demand and production levels, but assured that steps are being taken to gradually address the issue.
