Government to set guaranteed price for rice: Price to be disclosed next week

The government announced its decision to set a guaranteed price for rice and it has been decided to reveal the new price next week.   

Currently, a special committee is working to determine the guaranteed price, with the committee being chaired by the Director General of the Agriculture Technology Division.  The government has planned to purchase 300,000 metric tons of paddy from the current harvest through the marketing board.  The Ministry of Agriculture has said that the necessary funds for paddy procurement have already been requested from the Treasury.  Meanwhile Minister of Trade Wasantha Samarasinghe said both Sathosa and Paddy Marketing Board will purchase paddy. He said the government is currently carrying out a study on the available storage of paddy. “ We will ensure fair prices for both paddy and rice,” the Minister assured.