Paddy farmers receive better price after Govt.’s decision to ban imports: Gamlath

Tuesday, 23 February 2021 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

State Minister of Mahaweli Zone Canals and Settlement Infrastructure Development Siripala Gamlath (third from left) inspecting a model farm in Damminna and Sevanapitiya in the Mahaweli B Zone

The paddy farmers have been able to fetch a better price higher than that of the fixed price as a result of the Government’s decision to not import rice to the country, State Minister of Mahaweli Zone Canals and Settlement Infrastructure Development Siripala Gamlath reiterates.

The State Minister points out that a kilogram of paddy is currently bought at a price of more than Rs. 55. He was addressing a group of farmers after an inspection tour of several Mahaweli Model Farms in Damminna and Sevanapitiya in the Mahaweli B Zone recently. A program titled ‘Mahaweli Mahagovi Sangrama – Hari Govithenata Hari Para’ was organised to guide the farmers to obtain a high yield. The program was held at the Mahaweli Divisional Office in Sevanapitiya.

Expressing his views during the program, State Minister Siripala Gamlath said that the necessary operations are already launched to increase the contribution to the national food production by the Mahaweli settlers to 30% from the current 20% within the next three years.

He also said that the food import can be controlled substantially by properly managing the Mahaweli lands and using them more for cultivation. The Government spends about Rs. 220 billion to import food items per year and such a large amount of valuable foreign exchange could be saved by cultivating such food items locally, Minister Siripala Gamlath said.

He also said a risk of food scarcity would not emerge in the future when the national food production process is strengthened and the responsibility of the Government is to rally around the Mahaweli settlers to achieve such a national goal. The State Minister expressed his views further in this manner: “Various factions pointed out in the past days that rice should be imported but the President did not listen to them. By any chance, if he allowed to import rice, the paddy farmers would not be able to fetch a good price today.”

“The Paddy harvesting has already started. It is clear that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa always takes farsighted decisions. He is really a farsighted leader,” State Minister Gamlath said. State Ministry of Mahaweli Zone Canals and Settlement Infrastructure Development Secretary Engineer W.B. Palugaswewa and Residential Enterprise Manager Noel Jayasiri and several others participated.