• 85% of paddy in Ampara has been harvested

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has announced that over 40,000 MT of paddy have already been purchased under the Government’s procurement programme, with the country expecting a total production of 2 million MT this harvesting season.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Secretary D.P. Wickremasinghe reported that approximately 1.6 million MT of paddy had been harvested nationwide as of last week.

The highest procurement volume was recorded in the Ampara District, where 85% of the paddy has already been reaped. 

Wickremasinghe assured that the current stock would be sufficient to meet domestic demand until the next harvesting season.

“While some varieties, such as keeri samba, may experience slightly lower stock levels, staple varieties like nadu are available in adequate quantities,” he explained.

The board is currently utilising 353 warehouses with a combined storage capacity of 326,710 MT. This includes 216 board-owned warehouses capable of storing 230,560 MT and 137 warehouses belonging to other institutions with a capacity of 96,150 MT.

Despite the ample storage facilities, during the Yala season of 2023, only 2,153 MT of paddy was purchased and stored across 15 warehouses, leaving 93% of the board’s storage capacity unused. Furthermore, 146 of these warehouses were identified as needing repairs, but no maintenance work was carried out.

Wickremasinghe highlighted that although this year’s harvest had been productive, the board would need to implement new strategies to recover from past financial losses and improve operational efficiency in the future.