Move to stabilise paddy price and ease farmers' woes:

PMB to purchase paddy from farmers

By Mohammed NAALIR

The Government has allocated Rs. 1 billion to purchase paddy from the Maha paddy season in the Ampara district, Co-operative and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

The Minister has instructed the relevant authorities to focus special attention on the quality of paddy in the process of paddy purchasing. The Minister has also directed the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to purchase paddy from farmers if the permitted moisture level of less than 14 percent is maintained.

The Minister has given these instructions with a view to prevent the fungus from attacking the paddy grain.

Paddy with high moisture level is sold at low prices in the market, according to Minister Fernando.

The Minister said that eventhough buffer stocks are available in the stores to transfer this to empty stores and then purchase the new paddy harvest from farmers. The Minister said that the Government has commenced paddy purchasing in the Ampara district from last week.

With the commencing of Maha paddy harvest, the Government commenced paddy purchasing last week, Chairman of Paddy Marketing Board (PMB), K. B. Jayasinghe told the Sunday Observer.

The Government launched the paddy purchasing program from farmers in Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu in the Ampara district, Valachchenai in Batticaloa and Ramanathapuram in Kilinochchi last week, Jayasinghe said.

The PMB predicted a total harvest of 2,604,634 metric tons of paddy throughout the country this year, out of which the PMB will purchase 10 percent of the entire harvest.

Jayasinghe said 9,000 metric tons will be purchased from the North and 8,000 metric tons from the East.

The PMB purchases a kilo of Nadu at Rs. 28 and Samba at Rs. 30, provided the moisture level is less than 14 percent.

The PMB plans to purchase paddy for nearly Rs. 450 this year, Jayasinghe said.

The Sunday Observer spoke to some farmers along the Muttur-Kantale road and A-15 road last week. H. R. A. Heenmahatthaya, a farmer from Samugapura, said the income of farmers had declined considerably because of the fuel price hike. The income from the paddy cultivation is not sufficient to settle the loans obtained.

With the increase in fuel prices owners of harvesting machineries have doubled their charges. The transportation charges have also increased considerably. Meanwhile, the price of paddy has dropped.

A 68 kilo pack of paddy is purchased by traders in the area at about Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 1,200. The farmers thought they could overcome the losses caused due to last year's floods. As fuel prices went up the price of paddy declined and the loan burden further increased, Heenmahatthaya said.

Heenmahatthaya said that if the price of paddy was high they could overcome the expenses. The harvest and the price of paddy has declined simultaneously this year.

He said only 40 packs of paddy were harvested from one acre. The owners of Combined Harvester increased the charges for harvesting from one acre to Rs. 9,500. Altogether it would cost over Rs. 12,000 to complete the harvesting of an acre. When the cost of ploughing and sowing were taken into account there would be no income for farmers.

Siraj, a farmer from Eachilampattu along the A-15 road said that the prices of fertiliser and insecticides had increased. The paddy harvest has declined considerably, we are offered a cheap price for our paddy by rice mill owners. When compared to expenditure in the cultivation process, it is not sufficient to recover the basic expenses incurred in paddy cultivation. Labourers and other costs are high. "We receive only a nominal income from paddy cultivation. After settling the debts we are left with nothing. We are only engaged in paddy cultivation", Siraj said.

Now the paddy farmers are offered only Rs. 1,100 for a pack of paddy, but still the price of rice is high. The relevant authorities must take steps to urge mill owners to offer a fair price for the harvest to farmers.

Rice mill owners purchase paddy from farmers at cheaper rates. Along the A-15 road certain rice mill owners purchase paddy from farmers at a very low price contrary to the price level recommended by the Paddy Marketing Board, Siraj said. He said that certain mill owners are fishing in troubled waters in this area.

Mill owners purchased paddy from farmers on loan a basis have to settle the money, he said.

Sarojini from Eachchilampattu said that she is operating a boutique at Eachchilampattu along the A-15 road in addition to paddy cultivation. Last year she could sell a pack of paddy above Rs. 2,000. This year the price of a pack of paddy has declined by half.

She said that her paddy cultivation was affected by floods last year. This year, eventhough a favourable weather condition prevailed, as the price of paddy reduced her income too reduced.

We must sell our paddy for a good price. The government should take immediate steps to sell paddy at a fair price.

Maylvaganam Ganeshalingam, a farmer from Eachchilampattu said he has a ten acre paddy land. Only 100 packs of paddy were harvested. Both the harvest and price of paddy have reduced.

Maylvaganam said that he is unable recover the expenditure incurred in paddy cultivation.

A young farmer from Kathiraveli Thananjayan Nithi said that a pack of paddy is purchased at Rs. 1,350. A pack of paddy with moisture level above 14 percent is purchased at Rs.1,000.

The farmers in these area are engaged in paddy cultivation depending on the rainy water. As sufficient rains were not received, the paddy harvest also reduced by a considerable level. "We have been affected in two ways, that is, insufficient harvest and low price," Dananjayan said.

He said eventhough the Government has increased the price of paddy, the farmers were yet to be received it. The rice mill owners from Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and other areas purchase paddy at a low price, cheating the farmers. As rice mills are not available in these areas we were compelled to sell our paddy at low price to outsiders.

Thambiappa Kandasamy a farmer from Panichchankerny said that paddy he cultivated was affected due to the shortage of rain. Amidst huge difficulties we cultivated, we are unable to receive a fair price for our paddy. The price of fuel has also gone up.

Now combined harvesters are used in the harvesting process the farmers have to pay double for them.

He said that one kilo of Samba is purchased at Rs. 14 and Nadu at Rs. 12 by outside traders.

We have a lot of expenditure in the harvesting process.

After settling all dues, only three to four packs of paddy remain to us, farmer Jeganathan said.

He said they were given seed paddy by the Government. The mediation of the Government is crucial to offer a fair price to the paddy of these farmers.

Jeganathan said he frequently receives news alerts that paddy price has been increased, but they are yet to receive the benefit.

In the first phase the authorities had taken steps to purchase paddy from the Polonnaruwa district through agents. The Government has announced that a controlled price for a kilo of Samba at Rs. 30 and Nadu at Rs. 28 should be maintained, he said. As the fuel price has increased the government should take steps to increase the paddy price considering the welfare of farmers.