The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) says it has purchased 305 metric tonnes of paddy within the first four days of its latest purchasing programme, NewsFirst reported.
PMB Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda said the largest quantity has been bought from the Ampara District, with paddy also procured from the Northern and Southern Provinces and the districts of Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Hambantota.
The board has opened 43 storage facilities so far and prepared a further 143 warehouses for operation, as it moves to absorb the harvest and support farmers through the state’s guaranteed price scheme.
Under that scheme, Nadu paddy is being purchased at Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba at Rs. 130 per kilogram and Keeri Samba at Rs. 140 per kilogram.
The guaranteed price mechanism is designed to protect farmers from sharp price falls at harvest time, when a glut of supply can otherwise push farm-gate prices below production costs. By buying paddy directly and storing it, the PMB aims to stabilise the market and maintain buffer stocks for release when supplies tighten. The board typically ramps up purchasing during the main harvesting periods across the country’s rice-growing districts.
