(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that purchase of the paddy from paddy farmers by the Paddy Marketing Board will commence today (1).
He said that the paddy will be bought by the rice mills of the Paddy marketing Board at a price of Rs 50 per kilo. He added everything is made to buy all the harvest brought by the farmers.
He made these observations at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday (30).
He said that this measure would direct rice mill owners to buy paddy at a rate of Rs.50 each kilogram and assured that if those mill owners dared not to do so the government has allocated money to buy all of the harvest of the farmers. He assured that still the country has a stock of rice ample for another one and half months and said that when the harvest is reaped it would be enough for another six months period.
