No necessity to import rice: Amaraweera

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana 

There is no necessity to import rice anymore as the local farmers have produced sufficient stocks in the last season, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera told Parliament yesterday. 

Responding to an oral question raised by MP Kins Nelson in the House, the Minister said it was possible to cultivate 512, 000 hectares of paddy in the last season though it was initially to cultivate only 248,000 hectares of paddy. As it was possible to supply fertilizer even at the last moment, he said there is no necessity to import rice any more. 

However the Minister said the price of paddy had gone down as mill owners have not purchased paddy from the farmers. “Also the Paddy Marketing Board is unable to purchase paddy because of the financial situation in the treasury and the lack of funds with the Paddy Marketing Board. However the board has managed to purchase Rs 8 billion worth of paddy during recent times,” he added.