|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Saturday, 25 September 2004 |
 |
|
 |
News | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
by Uditha Kumarasinghe The Government has released Rs.50 million each to the District Secretaries of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Ampara to purchase the Yala paddy harvest. The Government has taken this decision to directly purchase paddy harvest from farmers and offer them a concessionary rate for their paddy to eliminate middlemen, an Agriculture Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday. Following a request by Agriculture and Lands Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Treasury has released the Rs.150 million to the District Secretaries to purchase paddy from farmers, he said. The spokesman said harvesting has already commenced in these three districts. The Agriculture Ministry will store the paddy purchased by the Government in Agriculture Department and Agrarian Services Department stores. The Agriculture Ministry has set up District Agriculture Development Committees in the three districts. They will comprise District Secretary, Agrarian Services Assistant Commissioner and the Agriculture Department Assistant Commissioner in each district. This committee will decide the amount of paddy to be purchased in each district, he said. Meanwhile, our Anuradhapura District Special Correspondent Walter Dayaratne said the Government has already granted Rs. 50 million to Polonnaruwa District Secretary to purchase paddy in the district. Accordingly, the Polonnaruwa Multi Purpose Co-operative Society has made arrangements to directly purchase paddy from farmers. As a result, a competitive market is to be created to purchase the Yala paddy harvest while preventing attempts made by private traders to purchase paddy from farmers at low rates. Co-operative Societies have decided to purchase a Kilo of Nadu paddy at Rs. 18.50 and a Kilo of Samba paddy at Rs. 21.50. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
