Higher price for Maha paddy harvest
Farmers will be offered a higher guaranteed price for their Maha
paddy harvest under a special program formulated by the Government on
the directions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Under this program,
farmers will be offered a guaranteed price of Rs. 28 per kilo for Nadu
variety of paddy and Rs. 30 per kilo for Samba.
This price structure was decided at a meeting held at the Finance and
Planning Ministry to review the Maha paddy purchasing exercise.
The meeting presided by Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera was
attended by all Government agents and other relevant officials
countrywide.
A Ministry release said the Treasury has allocated Rs. 3,000 million
to the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) for purchasing paddy under the
guaranteed price. Apart from the PMB, Co-operative Societies recommended
by the respective Government Agents would also be sanctioned to purchase
paddy at the guaranteed price. State banks will provide Rs. 2,000
million to co-operative societies for this program under the
Government's agricultural credit scheme.
Harvesting of the Maha crop has already commenced and the harvest has
already started reaching the market, it was observed at the meeting.
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