Use more rice and rice-based products

Govt's request to people

Rasika Somarathna

COLOMBO: The Government wants the people to use more rice and rice based products instead of flour based products for consumption, said Deputy Minister for Finance, Plan Implementation and Higher Education Ranjith Siyambalapitiya addressing a press conference yesterday at the Finance Ministry auditorium.

"The present Government has implemented a number of proposals to develop paddy cultivation in the country.

As a result we achieved a bumper harvest last season," said the Minister adding that the Govt. has allocated Rs. 2,607 million to buy paddy for the Yala season in 2006. Stressing that the Govt's aim was to give a better price to the farmers' the Minister said that this amount was the highest allocation made by any Govt. since independence.

"With the harvest achieving such high proportions we should formulate a proper plan to buy and distribute the production and encourage the farmers towards further growth by giving the farmers a good price," he said.

Minister of Agrarian Services S. M. Chandrasena said that the Govt. had identified the problems pertaining to buying paddy and was in the process of formulating a programme to redress it. "There are 1,500 agrarian centres in the country and 15,000 farmer organisations which we could use as buying centres," said the Minister.

Highlighting the plans ahead Finance Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera said that the Govt. was planning to export rice to Maldives and 500 metric tons of rice would be shipped to Pakistan as a donation to the earth quake victims adding that by increasing the consumption of rice based products and strengthening the exports the Govt. would be able to increase the market demand for rice.

"We have decided to increase the import tax on 01 kg of rice from Rs. 9 to Rs. 20, also an import tax of Rs. 6 would be charged on 01 kg of corn seed," said Jayasundera adding that all these moves were intended to strengthen the income of the farmer community. "We have to muster the support of all to carry out the process," he said.