Dudley Sirisena speaks about the increasing prices of rice

Dudley Sirisena speaks about the increasing prices of rice

The brother of President Maithripala Sirisena,rice merchant,owner of Araliya rice Company  Dudley Sirisena had spoken at a media briefing held yesterday at  Hilton Jaic Hotel the reason for the escalating prices of rice causing

people to panic.

The closest reason for this situation has been the failure of the Minister of rural economic affairs P Harrisson to issue the stocks of rice in a proper manner.

The Minister has been accused that while the President and the Prime Minister had ordered the stocks in the paddy marketing board to be released a proper tender procedure was not follwed.

Dudley Sirisena had commented that there are enough stocks of rice ( samba and kiri  samba)in the possession of rice mill owners until next April. While  the majority of nadu rice in in possession of the government.

In this context blaming him and a few other large scale rice merchants is not justifiable.

The paddy kilo is purchased at Rs 43.65 from the paddy marketing board and is sold for Rs 50 to mill owners which after rice is produced cost Rs 80 after adding to their expenses.

In the event the paddy stocks were released to the mill owners in a certain system this would not have happened was what Dudley Sirisena had said at the media briefing which he had called for.