The Government has prepared a production cost report for paddy cultivated during the 2026 Yala season, with the cost of producing a kilogram of paddy ranging from Rs 76 to Rs 119 depending on the variety, Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Minister K D Lalkantha said.

Addressing a special farmers’ meeting held in Anuradhapura, Lalkantha said the report was jointly prepared by the Agriculture Ministry, the Agrarian Development Department, the Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Post Harvest Management and the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute.

According to the report, the production cost of one kilogram (kg) of Red Nadu paddy is Rs 76, while White Nadu paddy costs Rs 87 per kg to produce. The production cost of Samba paddy has been calculated at Rs 97 per kg, while Keeri Samba costs Rs 119 per kg.

Lalkantha said the Government has adopted a policy of determining a guaranteed purchase price by adding a 30% profit margin to the production cost of a kilogram of paddy, in response to a long-standing request by farmers’ organisations.

He also noted that the Government’s fertiliser subsidy of Rs 30,000 per hectare has been taken into account when calculating production costs.

The Minister further pointed out that Sri Lanka continues to import significant quantities of essential food items, including potatoes, big onions, wheat flour and rice varieties such as basmati rice.