A special discussion with rice mill owners at the Ministry of Agriculture
A special discussion with rice mill owners was held today (06th) at the Ministry of Agriculture. Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply T.B. Sarath and small, medium and large-scale rice mill owners participated in this discussion.
During this discussion, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation inquired as to what obstacles exist in purchasing paddy at the price announced by the government. He also asked what kind of support would be needed from the government to address this matter.
Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe also expressed his views on this occasion.
“During this Yala season, we have allocated 6000 million rupees for the purchase of paddy. General consumption of Keeri Samba fluctuates between 10% and 15%. Samba is between 7% and 10%. Nearly 80% of consumption is White Nadu and Red Nadu. We are trying to identify what obstacles exist in purchasing paddy from farmers at the prices decided by the government. For this purpose, we expect the cooperation of the business community.”
Deputy Minister Mr. Namal Karunaratne also expressed his views on this occasion.
“With the increase in fuel prices, the cost of harvesting has also increased. The government intervened and distributed 62,000 metric tons of fertilizer to farmers. Although we could provide some relief to farmers regarding the fertilizer issue, some problematic conditions arose for farmers in harvesting and land preparation. In the future, both fertilizer prices and fuel prices will decrease.”
Subsequently, the rice mill owners expressed their views.
Paddy that has been properly dried to the required standard can be purchased under the prices announced by the government. There are no issues in that regard. Just as there is a controlled price for paddy, it would be more appropriate to have a controlled price for rice too. They asked to remove Keeri Samba from the controlled price.
Provide loans to mill owners under a 3% concessionary interest rate. There is no retail price for rice and only a wholesale price exists. That is a problem. Provide rice to the estate sector population under a concessionary price. They consume more wheat flour.
The government should encourage increasing Keeri Samba production. Paddy cultivation should be carried out under some form of regulation. The consumption of wheat flour should be limited. Suitable paddy varieties should be introduced for export purpose.
The Minister of Agriculture stated that a decision could be reached after discussing the proposals submitted with the relevant officials. Accordingly, a final decision regarding the price of rice could then be made.
