PMB gets Rs. 500 Mn for paddy purchasing

Agriculture and Plantation Industry Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, on Wednesday (13) stated that the President Ranil Wickremesinghe decided to allocate Rs. 500 million to the Paddy Marketing Board to purchase paddy. Under this, at least 12 paddy stores in nine districts will be opened for buying paddy of Hambantota, Monaragala, Ampara, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kurunegala, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Anuradhapura from today (15).

The Agriculture Minister instructed the PMB Chairman to prepare another 100 paddy stores to be opened any time to purchase paddy.

The Kachchigal Ara, Weerawila, Dehigahalanda, Yodhakandiya, Aluthwewa, Weeragoda,Surangal, Manalpeddi, Nikaweratiya 2, Kilinochchiya, Park Road, Kilinochchi Economic Center and Nochchiyagama rice warehouses will be kept open from tomorrow (16).

Although requests were made from the Finance Ministry for Rs.2 bn for paddy purchase in this Maha Season, Finance Ministry officials did not give any positive response in this regard. The Minister also mentioned that the Paddy Marketing Board started the purchase of paddy by obtaining Rs.250 million from the Farmer Trust Fund.

The Minister, who said that no support was given to the purchase by Finance Ministry officials said yesterday that the President was directly involved in this matter and accordingly decided to give Rs.500 million for paddy purchasing yesterday (14) while starting the programme to develop Padukka as a youth agriculture entrepreneurship village.

The minister said that the government along with other explained the need to purchase paddy and the President decided to provide this financial provision immediately. Under the maximum price imposed by the government, Rs.105 per kilogramme of paddy with 14 percent moisture, Rs.120 for samba and Rs.130 for Keeri samba, Rs. 90 for 1 kg of samba and Rs.100 for Keeri samba and more than 14 percent moisture.

The purchase of paddy harvest at Rs.120 will be done by the Paddy Marketing Board.

By using the loan amount of Rs.100 million obtained from the Farmer Trust Fund, the Paddy Marketing Board started buying wholesale of Red Nadu from the farmers of Hambantota District from (11) and by (12) the Paddy Marketing Board was able to buy 75,000 kg of paddy.

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