Media discussion was held at the Department of Government Information regarding the 2025/26 Maha season paddy purchasing program and the FarmerNet.lk farmer registration system.
A media discussion on the 2025/26 Maha season paddy purchasing program and the FarmerNet.lk farmer registration system was held yesterday (16th) at the Department of Information. The Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, Mr. D.P. Wickremasinghe, Mr. Manjula Pinnalanda of the Paddy Marketing Board, and Mr. Dhammika Ranathunga, Director General of the Department of Agrarian Development, participated in the event.
During the discussion, Mr. D.P. Wickremasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, expressed his views on the current state of agriculture in the country.
“By the latter part of 2024, there was a rice shortage in the country. The main challenge our Ministry faced was maintaining the rice production required by the country. By the end of 2025, we were able to maintain a sufficient amount of rice in the country. At present, there is no rice shortage in the country. According to our records, surplus rice quantities are being maintained in every region. Within two seasons, the government implemented several key programs to restore the country’s rice production to a normal level. One of these was increasing the fertilizer subsidy given to farmers in order to attract them to agriculture. In addition, a guaranteed price for paddy was determined and publicly announced, creating a stable situation for farmers regarding paddy prices. Thirdly, the necessary funds were provided to the Paddy Marketing Board to directly carry out paddy purchasing. These three measures instilled great confidence among farmers. As a result, farmers engaged in paddy cultivation in ways we did not anticipate during some cultivation seasons. Especially during the last Yala season, an unexpectedly large extent was cultivated. It was approximately 425,000 hectares, close to 500,000 hectares. It is the highest amount we have known in history. This season, we expected to cultivate around 800,000 hectares. However, we had to remove approximately 25,000 hectares due to the cyclone. Nevertheless, we are receiving a good and significant harvest these days.
At this event, Mr. Manjula Pinnalanda, Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board, expressed his views regarding paddy purchasing process.
“This time our cultivation is spread out. We expected to carry out purchasing activities by the end of January. The warehouses are being opened gradually. As of today, eighty-two warehouses have been opened.
We have now set fixed prices for purchasing paddy from farmers. Nadu — 120 rupees, Samba — 130 rupees, Keeri Samba — 140 rupees. We are currently distributing rice through Sathosa. We expect to continue paddy purchasing activities until the end of next March.”
During this discussion, Mr. Dhammika Ranathunga, Director General of the Department of Agrarian Development, expressed his views regarding farmer registration process.
“The reason for launching the FarmerNet.lk digital farmer registration project was our inability to obtain the necessary data. All farmers producing food crops can register through this system. We have mapped every paddy field in Sri Lanka. Along with that, all information regarding what is being cultivated and who the farmers are is contained within it. This is why we are introducing this system to farmers who cultivate other food crops as well. We launched this system on January 16. As of today, approximately 270,000 farmers have registered in this system.”
Mr. Manjula Pinnalanda, Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board, responded to the questions raised by journalists.
Although it is stated that paddy is purchased at the guaranteed price, farmers are complaining that outside parties are purchasing paddy at seventy rupees.
In the Polonnaruwa areas mentioned, paddy harvesting has not yet begun. Paddy warehouses in Polonnaruwa have not been opened yet. In Ampara, twelve have begun operations. We have a staff shortage. So far, 200 tons of Samba and 13 tons of Keeri Samba have been purchased. We are currently short of approximately 65 employees. We have made a request to provide us with staff. There are no senior officers. Recruitment is currently underway. At present, we do not have a program to receive wet paddy.
Farmers’ paddy is bought for a pittance. Is there no way to control this? Can’t you buy wet paddy?
We don’t have sufficient facilities to go out and collect paddy. We are trying to obtain the necessary transport vehicles for the Paddy Marketing Board. We have only one lorry, and it is currently in Ampara. There is no point to acquire a lot of Lorries without a plan. A proper program is needed for that.
Is there no plan to remove the mud that settled on farmers’ lands after the disaster?
We expect to restore some lands by providing compensation to farmers. Or else, we hope to support them by providing the necessary equipment.
