Govt purchased 1,910 metric tons of paddy so far - Cabinet Spokesman

Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has revealed that the government has purchased a total of 1,910 metric tons of paddy as of yesterday (20).The Minister made these remarks while responding to a question raised by a journalist at the Cabinet press briefing held today (21).He stated that since the commencement of the paddy purchasing process on July 13, the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has so far allocated Rs. 229.35 million for the purpose.Minister Jayatissa said that the government aims to purchase a total of 39,500 metric tons of paddy, for which Rs. 6,000 million has been allocated to the PMB, while a further Rs. 10,000 million has been allocated under the ‘Odapana’ loan scheme.Commenting further Minister Jayatissa said:“We were scheduled to open 143 paddy warehouses. However, harvesting is still not taking place in all areas. Currently, 71 paddy warehouses have been opened. As of yesterday, 1,910 metric tons of paddy have been purchased by these 71 warehouses. The PMB has allocated Rs. 229.35 million for this purpose.”He further stated, “Our expectation is to purchase 39,500 metric tons of paddy. For this, the PMB has allocated Rs. 6,000 million, and another Rs. 10,000 million has been allocated under the ‘Odapana’ loan scheme.”The Minister added that paddy is being purchased based on the quantities received, noting that 1,224 metric tons of the total 1,910 metric tons purchased so far had been obtained from the Ampara District alone.He further said that 150 metric tons had been received from Anuradhapura, 201 metric tons from Vavuniya, and 163 metric tons from Kilinochchi, while the remaining quantities had been collected from other opened warehouses in smaller amounts.Minister Jayatissa stated that the government has purchased a total of 1,910 metric tons of paddy so far.