The expected paddy harvest for the Maha season has not been achieved, says Minister of Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
He said that although two and a half million metric tons were expected for this season, only 2.4 million metric tons will be received, and that the adverse weather conditions have been the reason for this.
He further said that if there is a shortage of rice in the rice market, the government will definitely have to import rice. He expressed these views while participating in the Budget Committee stage debate in Parliament.