Cabinet to purchase Nadu paddy from farmers at Rs 55

Paddy harvesting for the Yala season 2021 has already commenced.

The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to purchase Nadu variety paddy at Rs. 55 per kilogram through the Paddy Marketing Board in order to purchase the paddy harvest of the farmers at a competitive price and to mill the paddy stocks that are purchased in that manner into ricc and sell them to the customers at a reasonable price through the Sathosa outlet network.

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Nadu paddy purchase price increased

S.M.Wijayaratne

The Government will purchase the Nadu paddy variety from farmers at Rs.55 per kilo, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

The Nadu rice variety will be sold at Rs 98. The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has been instructed to buy paddy at the new price with immediate effect. Several leading rice mill owners were reported to have stopped purchasing paddy from farmers and hence, the farmers began complaining that they were unable to sell their paddy at a good price. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed to increase the prices of paddy and the Cabinet on Monday approved the new price. “We, as a responsible Government, cannot ignore while the money-minded businessmen are attempting to exploit paddy farmers and consumers in this manner during this pandemic crisis,” Minister Aluthgamage said.