‘There will never be issues with paddy prices again’, says President

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured that there will never again be an issue with the price of paddy.

He made this remark while addressing a public rally held in Polonnaruwa.

The President explained that warehouses have been renovated specifically for this purpose, and that Rs. 500 million has been allocated to purchase paddy.

Further commenting on this matter, President Dissanayake said, “We have made preparations. We have renovated warehouses with a total capacity of 300,000 metric tons. We have developed a purchasing plan and have allocated funds to restore dilapidated warehouses.”

He also added that, as a first step, Rs. 500 million had been provided to the Paddy Marketing Board to purchase paddy, and that Lanka Sathosa has also formulated a plan to purchase more.

The President further stated that whether paddy is sold to the government or the private sector, it must be sold at the fixed price set by the government.

President Dissanayake also stated that the government would purchase every grain of paddy that falls below the fixed price. He explained that they do not want farmers to struggle to sell their crops or be forced to discard them, and that the government is ready to intervene to keep prices steady.

“If the price of paddy drops, we will buy it. If it increases, the private sector can handle it. There’s no need for the government to hoard stockpiles of rice. Our goal is to maintain a stable and fair price for farmers and that plan has worked. We will never again allow the agricultural products to be sold for a very low price,” the President added.