Paddy purchasing for 2026 Yala season begins today

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) is set to commence paddy purchasing for the 2026 Yala cultivation season today (13).PMB Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda said paddy collection centres are being opened in areas currently recording the highest harvests, with purchases beginning accordingly.He stated that, as paddy harvesting is currently underway on a large scale in the Northern, Eastern and Ampara districts, procurement operations will initially be carried out in those areas.The Board recently announced the guaranteed purchasing prices for this season, with Nadu paddy to be bought at Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba at Rs. 130 per kilogram, and Keeri Samba at Rs. 140 per kilogram.The Board has also finalized plans to purchase paddy through 143 storage facilities across the country.The government has allocated Rs. 6 billion to the PMB for the procurement programme, while an additional Rs. 10 billion has been made available under an overdraft loan facility.According to the PMB, the initiative will also enable small and medium-scale rice mill owners to build up paddy stocks, while the Department of Agrarian Development will oversee the procurement process.