News
Plenty of paddy in stores, but Govt. goes for foreign donations and imports
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Sri Lanka continues to receive donations of rice from the international community while the government and private traders are holding on to millions of kilos of paddy and rice in their stores, a Sunday Times investigation has revealed.
Exposed: While the Government claims there is a shortage of rice, this picture tells a different story. Large stocks of paddy are seen stored at a private warehouse in Polonnaruwa. Pic by M. D. Nissanaka
In the main paddy production areas of the Eastern, North-central and Northern provinces, Government officials confirmed that despite the adverse weather conditions, paddy stocks were available in the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) stores and with private traders.
Private paddy millers confirmed they were in possession of stocks and were buying fresh stocks with the harvest beginning in some of the paddy cultivation areas.
The Department of Information, however in a statement this week said there would be a sharp drop in the paddy yield due to the drought. It said Sri Lanka was receiving 10,000 metric tonnes of rice from Pakistan and another 5,000 metric tonnes from Indonesia as donations.  In addition, the Government has also approved the import of 250,000 metric tonnes of rice.
In paddy cultivating areas, farmers expressed serious concern over moves to import rice as the purchase price of local paddy would be affected.