The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has purchased 7,267 metric tonnes of paddy within a two-week period, board Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda said.
The purchasing is being carried out through 71 centres, NewsFirst reported, across the districts of Mullaitivu, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Matale, Monaragala, Vavuniya, Ratnapura, Trincomalee and Kilinochchi.
The government is buying paddy under its guaranteed price scheme at Rs. 120 per kilogram for Nadu, Rs. 130 per kilogram for Samba and Rs. 140 per kilogram for Keeri Samba.
The figures mark a steady acceleration in the 2026 Yala season drive, which began on July 13. The board had procured 305 metric tonnes in its first four days and 5,390 metric tonnes by July 24.
The guaranteed price mechanism is designed to protect farmers from sharp price falls at harvest time, when a supply glut can push farm-gate prices below production costs. By buying directly from farmers and storing the crop, the PMB aims to steady the domestic rice market and hold buffer stocks for release when supplies tighten.
Procurement volumes and the pace of centre openings are closely watched by farmer organisations, which have at times complained that state purchasing arrives too late in the harvest cycle to prevent private traders from setting lower prices.
