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Paddy prices: Govt. sticks to prices amidst protests

18 Sep 2021

By Yoshitha Perera The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) will proceed with the decision to purchase nadu paddy at a rate of Rs. 55 per kg, despite complaints and protests by some farmers, The Sunday Morning learnt. The decision came as PMB Chairman Dr. Jatal Mannaperuma resigned last Wednesday (15).  The Ministry of Agriculture said it requested approval to increase the purchase price of other paddy, samba, and keeri samba further, given the current economic situation. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that earlier, a kilogramme of nadu was being purchased at Rs. 50 and the Government had decided to increase the price to Rs. 55 after considering the requests made by many farmers to give them a reasonable price for their products. “We hope to provide a price increase for other paddy, samba, and keeri samba as well. The request had already been made to the President. Let’s hope for the best,” Aluthgamage said. Last week, several farmers’ organisations complained that the purchase price of a kilogramme of nadu paddy at Rs. 55 was not adequate and threatened to organise protests if the price was not increased. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, All Island Farmers’ Federation (AIFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne emphasised that they would refrain from cultivating paddy in the upcoming Maha season, unless a guaranteed price was introduced instead of a control price for paddy. He requested the Government to create an immediate programme to purchase paddy from farmers at a reasonable price. Karunaratne claimed that the production cost for a kilogramme of paddy was Rs. 50 and questioned how the Government could purchase a kilogramme of nadu paddy at Rs. 55 from the farmer. “The Government’s recent move to set up a control price for rice had also affected the farmers. Rice mill owners have now stopped purchasing paddy from farmers,” Karunaratne argued. Considering the present factors affecting the farming community, the Government should purchase a kilo of nadu at a price of at least Rs. 65, samba at Rs. 75, and keeri samba at Rs. 90, Karunaratne opined. He also urged the Government to expedite a process for purchasing paddy at a reasonable rate.    Responding to a query by The Sunday Morning on the resignation of the PMB Chairman, Minister Aluthgamage said that the Chairman had resigned for personal reasons. Attempts by The Sunday Morning to contact Dr. Mannaperuma regarding his sudden resignation proved futile.


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