President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced that the government has allocated Rs. 5000 million for the purchase of paddy, marking the highest allocation made by any government in recent times for this purpose.
Speaking during a friendly gathering in the Pitipana area of Homagama, the President emphasized,
“We have already allocated Rs. 5000 million for the purchase of paddy. This is the highest amount allocated by a government in recent times. Additionally, we are renovating all of our warehouses, which have a total capacity of 300,000 metric tons. While we may not be able to purchase the entire 300,000 metric tons, we plan to offer these warehouses to private-sector paddy collectors. Then they will be able to store the collected paddy in our warehouses, allowing us to track the available rice.”
He further explained, “We have published an advertisement in the newspaper, announcing that all paddy collectors and rice millers in Sri Lanka must register with the government. From now on, no one who is not registered with the government will be allowed to collect paddy stocks, nor will they be permitted to mill paddy. Registered collectors will also be required to submit a weekly report to the government detailing the amount of paddy they have collected.”
Addressing concerns about rice stock levels, the President remarked, “I recently saw an official from the Ministry of Agriculture testify before the COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) stating that one million metric tons of rice is missing. We need to determine where this rice is. The total capacity of all government-owned warehouses is 300,000 metric tons, and the main mills owned by millers in Polonnaruwa also have a total capacity of 300,000 metric tons. Even if all these warehouses are stocked with paddy, we would have only 600,000 metric tons.”
“We must be cautious moving forward. The time when a country could act with guesses has passed. The world no longer moves with guesses, but with data. However, we do not know the amount of rice produced, which is our staple food, nor do we know the amount consumed. Therefore, we are quickly building a strong data system. Give me two more weeks, and I assure you there will not be a single grain of rice missing from the Sri Lankan market, let alone any shortages below the guaranteed price,” he said.
