Until now, the Paddy Marketing Board bought 2,000 kilos from each farmer.

The government has allocated Rs. 4,998 million to buy the paddy, said the minister.

The PMB is now buying the paddy, at Rs. 41 per kilo for Samba and Rs. 38 per kilo of Naadu.

Call for a certified price

However, the Sri Lanka Agrarian Conference wants the government to buy paddy at a certified price of Rs. 50 per kilo.

Its secretary T.B. Sarath has told the media in Dambulla that despite a low price for paddy, producers were selling rice to the consumers at a high price of Rs. 100 per kilo.

This season has yielded a decreased harvest due to pests, he said, blaming the water management committee for delaying the releasing of waters for paddy cultivations.