With harvesting for the 2026 Yala season now underway, the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Agriculture to commence paddy procurement without delay. 

He also directed that existing paddy stocks in warehouses be cleared and that preparations be made, in coordination with Sathosa, to receive the new harvest, according to a statement issued by the President’s Media Division (PMD).

The Secretary to the President issued these instructions during a discussion on paddy procurement for the Yala season held yesterday (07) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.

It was noted that approximately 475,000 hectares of paddy land had been cultivated during this Yala season and that no adverse weather conditions had affected cultivation. As a result, a successful harvest is expected, the statement said.

It was also revealed that the Treasury has allocated Rs. 6 billion for the purchase of paddy during the 2026 Yala season. In addition, a further Rs. 10 billion has been earmarked through State banks as Odapana loans for small and medium-scale rice mill owners.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation informed the meeting that all arrangements had been made for the Paddy Marketing Board to commence purchasing paddy from 15 July, with the necessary preparations being carried out in collaboration with District Secretaries.

Commenting further, Ministry Secretary D. P. Wickramasinghe stated that, whereas in 2024 the Government had to urge rice mill owners not to increase the price of paddy, it is now in a position to request them not to reduce prices. He noted that this change had been made possible by the significantly higher paddy harvest achieved over the past one and a half years.

He further pointed out that, in 2024, the Government had appealed to farmers to sell their paddy to the State, but the response had been limited. At present, however, farmers are waiting for the Paddy Marketing Board to begin purchasing paddy before selling their harvest.

During both the 2025 Yala and Maha seasons, the Government purchased paddy worth Rs. 16 billion. The Paddy Marketing Board currently holds approximately 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy in its warehouses.

Of this, tenders have been called to release around 60,000 metric tonnes to the market, while steps have already been taken to supply a further 20,000 metric tonnes to Sathosa, the PMD said. 

The meeting also discussed obtaining additional storage facilities, where required, from government institutions, including cooperative societies and the Department of Agrarian Development, as well as leasing warehouses from the private sector.

--PMD--