Paddy Marketing Board is active again - allocates 1000 crores to buy paddy from farmers this Maha season

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) announced that the government has allocated ten billion rupees (ten thousand million) for the purchase of paddy harvest during this Maha season. Joining a press conference held yesterday (16) at the Government Information Department in Colombo, the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Manjula Pinnawala, stated that the government will purchase Nadu paddy at Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba paddy at Rs. 130 per kilogram, and Keeri Samba paddy at Rs. 140 per kilogram from farmers.

Paddy purchasing activities have already commenced, and approximately 5000 metric tons have been acquired so far. The Chairman pointed out that over 4000 metric tons of this amount have been obtained from the Ampara district, and paddy stocks are expected to be received from Polonnaruwa and several other areas in the future. Overall, the Paddy Marketing Board has prepared all facilities to purchase 210,000 metric tons of paddy during this season.

To implement this program, 166 Paddy Marketing Board centers are actively operating island-wide. It was also revealed that steps have been taken to directly credit the relevant funds to farmers' bank accounts on the day following the sale of their paddy, without causing inconvenience to them. In addition to the Paddy Marketing Board, paddy purchases are also being made through Lanka Sathosa and the cooperative network, and a significant quantity of paddy stocks has already been purchased by cooperative institutions.

Authorities request farmers to pay special attention to the fact that the government will only purchase paddy with a moisture content of less than 14 percent. Samples required for paddy purchasing are currently being received by the Board, and expected paddy stocks will also be received from Mahaweli regions and other areas in the future. The Paddy Marketing Board further stated that after converting the collected paddy stocks into rice, they will be released to consumers at a price lower than the existing guaranteed price.