The Paddy Marketing Board is arranged to begin buying paddy from tomorrow (03) with the commencement of the harvest for the Yala season.Accordingly, government warehouses will be opened at a number of districts starting tomorrow.This announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne, in a statement to media.The decision to begin purchasing was made following a joint discussion that took place in between the Paddy Marketing Board and other relevant stakeholders.According to the Deputy Minister, paddy acquiring will begin in the Ampara, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa districts, in addition to in regions of the Northwestern and Southern Provinces.The Paddy Marketing Board has actually been designated Rs.
600 million to acquire paddy in the Yala season, the federal government revealed previously.Accordingly, the federal government will purchase paddy at the following fixed costs: Nadu rice at Rs.
120 per kilogram Samba rice at Rs.
125 per kilogram Keeri Samba rice at Rs.
132 per kilogramThese rates apply to standardized (dry) paddy provided to federal government warehouses, the Deputy Minister noted.He also emphasized that facilities will remain in location to guarantee that farmers can provide quality paddy to these warehouses.Additionally, repaired costs have actually also been set for damp paddy.The rates are as follows: Nadu damp rice at Rs.
102 per kg Samba wet rice at Rs.
105 per kg Keeri Samba damp rice at Rs.
112 per kilogramHowever, the Deputy Minister noted that federal government warehouses are not equipped to save damp paddy and for that reason requested all stakeholders to make sure reasonable treatment of farmers by taking necessary actions to properly dry the paddy before shipment.