Paddy Marketing Board to begin Yala paddy purchases on July 15

Colombo, July 8 (Daily Mirror) - The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) will commence purchasing paddy from the 2026 Yala season harvest from July 15, following instructions to begin procurement without delay.

President Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake directed officials of the Agriculture Ministry to start the procurement process while also clearing existing paddy stocks in warehouses and making arrangements with Sathosa to accommodate the new harvest.

The instructions were issued during a discussion on Yala season paddy procurement held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (July 7).

Officials informed the meeting that around 475,000 hectares of paddy land had been cultivated during the Yala season and that favourable weather conditions had supported cultivation, with a successful harvest expected.

The Treasury has allocated Rs. 6 billion for paddy purchases during the 2026 Yala season, while a further Rs. 10 billion has been allocated through State banks as loans for small and medium-scale rice mill owners.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation said all arrangements had been completed for the PMB to begin purchasing paddy from July 15 in coordination with District Secretaries.

Ministry Secretary D. P. Wickramasinghe said the situation in the paddy market had changed significantly, noting that in 2024 the Government had to request rice mill owners not to increase paddy prices, whereas it can now request them not to reduce prices due to the higher harvest recorded over the past one-and-a-half years.

He said that while farmers were previously encouraged to sell paddy to the State, they are now waiting for the PMB to commence purchases before releasing their harvest.

The Government purchased paddy worth Rs. 16 billion during the 2025 Yala and Maha seasons. The PMB currently has around 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy in storage.

Of this stock, tenders have been called to release about 60,000 metric tonnes to the market, while arrangements have been made to supply another 20,000 metric tonnes to Sathosa.

The meeting also discussed securing additional storage facilities from State institutions, including cooperative societies and the Department of Agrarian Development, as well as leasing private warehouses when necessary.