Rs.62 million for paddy purchasing in four districts
 

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Government has allocated Rs. 62 million to purchase the Yala paddy harvest in Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Hambantota and Puttalam districts under the national level paddy purchasing programme for purchasing the Yala paddy harvest.

On the directive of Agriculture, Public Security, Law and Order Minister and Acting Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the Treasury Secretary has granted this money to purchase Yala paddy harvest in these four districts, a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Government has reserved Rs. 500 million for the Agriculture Ministry to initially commence the purchase of paddy during this Yala season. In addition, the Government has already disbursed another Rs.700 million to 470 rice mill owners under seven per cent low interest rates to purchase the Yala paddy harvest.

Following a discussion held at the Ratnapura District Secretariat with the participation of officials of the Agriculture Ministry, Agrarian Services Department and the Cooperative Development Department on Monday, Rs. 5 million was granted to purchase paddy in Ratnapura district.

A part from this money, Rs.600,000 has been granted to Embilipitiya and Kaltota Agrarian Service Centres, Rs.400,000 to Panamure and Kibulkatiya Agrarian Service Centres, Rs.0.5 million to Mahaweli Authority, Rs.2 million to Kolonna Multi Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) and Rs.1.5 million to Balangoda MPCS.

The spokesman said Rs. 10 million has been allocated to purchase paddy in Hambantota district. This includes Rs. 2 million to the Mahaweli Authority and Weeraketiya MPCS, Rs. 1.5 million to Hambantota MPCS, Rs.one million to Hungama MPCS, Rs.2 million to Tissa MPCS, Rs.1.5 million to Beliatta MPCS and Rs.2 million to Weerawila Agrarian Service Centre and Ambalantota MPCS.

Five MPCSs have come forward to purchase paddy in Puttalam district and the Ministry has allocated Rs. 10 million for this purpose. The Ministry has allocated Rs.2 million to Anamaduwa MPCS, Rs.3 million to Karuwalagasweva MPCS, Rs. 1.5 million to Puttalam MPCS, Rs. 2 million to Arachchikattuwa MPCS and Nawagaththegama MPCS.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has reserved Rs. 38 million to purchase the Yala paddy harvest in Kurunegala district. In order to purchase paddy in Kurunegala, the Ministry signed agreements with MPCSs, Agrarian Service Centres and Farmer Societies on August 30, he said.

Therefore, paddy purchasing in these five districts has already commenced, he said. He said : "The country is expecting a bumper Yala harvest this year between one million to 1.3 million metric tons of paddy to be reaped. For this year's Yala 330,000 hectares of paddy lands have been cultivated."