Over 1,693 mt of rice targeted in Maha

by Mohammed NAALIR

The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has commenced paddy purchases this Maha season on a directive by Cooperative and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando.

Paddy purchasing was launched last week in Akkaraipattu and Pottuvil. Paddy stores under the PMB in both areas are now open, Minister Fernando said.

Paddy purchasing had begun in the Batticaloa and Kilinochchi districts, since last week, he said.

The PMB stores in other areas are also open for farmers to sell paddy. The Paddy Marketing Board anticipated a harvest of 238,553 metric tons of paddy from the North as a result of a large area of paddy lands which had been abandoned during terrorism now coming under the plough, Chairman K.B. Jayasinghe said.

The PMB Chairman said that he expected a marketable paddy surplus of 1,551,344 mt and 1,693,012 mt of rice this year.

He said that a 2,604,634 metric ton paddy harvest is expected this year. The PMB plans to purchase 10 percent of the total harvest 128,654 metric tons from Trincomalee 179,353 metric tons - Batticaloa, 392,321 metric tons - Ampara, 261,750 metric tons - Anuradhapura, 275,397 metric tons - Polannaruwa, 31,753 metric tons - Jaffna, 61,541 metric tons - Kilinochchi, 53,197 metric tons - Mannar, 59,249 metric tons - Vavuniya and 32,813 metric tons - Mullaitivu, he said. Around 9,000 metric tons will be purchased from the North and 8,000 metric tons from the East.