The COPA committee has found that despite spending Rs.292 million and modernising the Veyangoda warehouse complex, it has not been possible to maintain a safe rice reserve of 100,000 metric tonnes.
The Committee on Public Accounts of the Parliament chaired by its Chairman,MP Kabir Hashim has discussed these issues recently while perusing the audit report on the performance of safe rice reserves and storage utilization by the Food Commissioner’s Department.
Warehouses 1, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13 in the Veyangoda warehouse complex have been scientifically and naturally modernized so the COPA committee attention was drawn to the failure to maintain adequate reserves. It was revealed from 2012 to 2019 the above some has been spent to modernise the facility.
Officials mentioned that the above-mentioned reserves could not be maintained due to not receiving adequate funds from the Treasury.
It was also revealed that to maintain 1,00,000 metric tonnes of rice on an average, around 22 billion rupees per year is required.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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