No farmer has delivered paddy to the Paddy Marketing Board so far, says its Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda. He stated that the paddy stocks have not been received by the warehouses as the farmers in the areas where their warehouses have been opened have not yet started harvesting.
However, he stated that the farmers in the relevant areas are scheduled to start harvesting within the next 10 days. So far, about 80 warehouses of the Paddy Marketing Board have been opened for the purchase of paddy.
Meanwhile, the government is facing a crisis in collecting paddy to maintain rice reserves, said Seneviratne Jayawardena, Chairman of the National Farmers’ Federation, while addressing a media conference convened in the Anuradhapura area today.