42,000 kg received from eight areas in 30 days: Govt. receives over 40 tonnes of paddy as farmers shift gears

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

Despite initial reluctance and grievances from farmers regarding selling paddy to the government, the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has purchased paddy amounting to 42,124 kg paddy from the farmers.   
A senior official told Daily Mirror that the paddy was collected from Ampara, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam and Trincomalee.   
The harvest, which is part of the Maha Season yield, has been gathered since February 10.   
Initially, many farmers were reluctant to sell their paddy to the state due to the higher rates offered by private traders, even for paddy with high moisture content.   
However, the farmers have shown interest in selling paddy at the given prices after the government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring fair pricing and market stability through the PMB’s purchasing programme.   
The government officially announced the prices at which paddy will be purchased as Nadu paddy – Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba paddy – Rs. 125 per kilogram and Keeri Samba paddy – Rs. 132 per kilogram.   
Despite announcing these prices, the farmers initially opted not to sell their paddy to the PMB.