Govt policies pay dividends:

Bumper paddy harvest during Maha season

by L.S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

A bountiful paddy harvest has been reported during this year's Maha season.

A bumper harvest is reported from all districts, the Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Ministry stated.

We would certainly attain the target of 2.3 million metric tonnes of paddy, a Ministry spokesman said.

"The farmers can sell their produce to the Paddy Marketing Board which pays Rs. 28 per kilo for nadu rice and Rs. 30 per kilo for samba. There is no need to sell paddy to the private sector at lower prices.

Enough money has been allocated for the purchase of paddy by the Paddy Marketing Board, he said.

A spokesman for the Anuradhapura Paddy Marketing Board branch said they had received nearly Rs. 1 billion for the purchase of paddy and 31 paddy purchasing centres have been set up.

"The bumper harvest is the result of the favourable weather conditions experienced in all agricultural areas during the Maha season. Farmers had also shown a remarkable enthusiasm for paddy cultivation due to the farmer friendly policies implemented by the government, the Agriculture Ministry spokesman said.

Farmers in rural areas, apart from their own paddy fields have also taken in reservation lands for cultivation, he said.