Although this government has received the biggest mandate in history, it is not crazy to give a little paddy to the Paddy Marketing Board like the farmers voted for the compass, says Muditha Perera, Chairman of the United Rice Producers Association.
Although the government said that it would set a control price for paddy by adding 30% to the cost of production, what has happened is that the price of paddy has been set considering the retail price of a kilo of rice, he says. However, in the next two weeks, the price of a kilo of Nadu paddy should come down to Rs. 120, otherwise it will not be possible to provide rice of the right quality under the government’s control price.
He pointed out that he is saddened by the current situation and that the farmer, who has been suffering in the paddy field for months, can only buy a coconut by selling a kilo of rice.
He recalled that the All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation marched in Polonnaruwa on August 15, 2023, demanding 130,000 shillings, and that the current Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne also marched with him in that march.