All Ceylon Farmers Association urges government to gazette mechanism to purchase paddy

He said that the stocks of rice in Weerawila and Hingurakgoda stores, imported in the years 2014/’15, 2016/’17, have been given for animal food

The National Organizer of the All Ceylon Farmers Association made a request from the government to gazette the mechanism of purchasing paddy as mentioned in the government’s policy manifesto because the government has sustained a loss of about Rs.15 billion. This loss has been sustained because the rice imported from foreign countries had been sold as animal food.

The organizer said so at a news briefing held at Athuparayaya in Dambulla aimed at raising awareness among the people about the prices on Friday (17). He said that the stocks of rice in Weerawila and Hingurakgoda stores, imported in the years 2014/’15, 2016/’17, have been given for animal food. The governments of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena have given rice in this way as animal food and accordingly, 57.6 million kgs. of rice have been sold.

He pointed out that the audit report reveals that a loss of Rs.15 billion has been sustained. He also said that as mentioned in the policy manifesto, a kilo of paddy ‘Nadu’ for Rs. 52, a kilo of ‘Samba” paddy for Rs. 57 and ‘Keeri samba’ for Rs. 63 should be purchased by the government. Already harvesting of paddy has commenced in many areas.

He said, if the purchasing of paddy is to be legalized as mentioned in the manifesto, the government should immediately show it by publishing the gazette. He requested from the government to do it in such a way that justice should be meted out to the general public.

He revealed that a huge fraud had been committed by selling the rice to the people although showing that the rice imported by the past government is animal food. This rice has been sold to the people after selling it to the mill owners for polishing.