Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Thursday said that steps will be taken to appoint three farmer representatives to the Paddy Price Determination Committee based on the agreement of the farmer organization representatives in all districts.
Farmer representatives had earlier requested Minister Amaraweea to provide an opportunity for their representatives to be included in the Paddy Price Determination Committee.The Minister also said that the Paddy Marketing Board will not directly purchase paddy as the Government has taken steps to purchase paddy through District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries.
The Minister also emphasized that the Government has allocated Rs.10 billion for paddy purchases and if necessary, the President will decide to allocate another Rs.10 billion for that purpose.
A kilo of paddy is to be purchased at Rs.100 per kilo taking into consideration the statements made by farmers that the price of paddy had fallen to between Rs.65-70.It is planned to purchase at least 63,000 metric tons of paddy for distribution among 2.9 million low-income families at the rate of 10 kg per month for two months.
However, the Minister said that measures will also be taken to include three farmers’ representatives in the Rice Price Determination Committee to give them an opportunity to represent the farmers.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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