Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Wednesday Dec 17, 2025
Wednesday, 17 December 2025 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Cabinet of Ministers at their meeting on Monday approved steps to mill and release paddy stocks purchased during the last Yala season into the domestic market, as the Government seeks to ease supply pressures ahead of the year-end festive period without resorting to direct price controls.
Under a joint proposal submitted by the Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Minister K.D. Lalkantha and the Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, paddy currently stored in warehouses of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) will be milled by PMB-registered private mill owners for 2025 and distributed through Lak Sathosa outlets and the cooperative network.
The paddy was procured using Rs. 6 billion allocated to the PMB in 2025.
Addressing the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that as at 30 November 2025, the Government had purchased 49.5 million kilos of paddy from 13,853 farmers, at a total cost of Rs. 5,949 million.
According to him, the stocks comprise 28 million kilos of Nadu (white), 21 million kilos of Nadu (red), 152,000 kilos of Samba (white), 75,600 kilos of Samba (red) and 12,666 kilos of Keeri Samba.
He noted that these figures reflect the latest verified data, with collection and reconciliation of information still ongoing.
The decision signals a shift from storage to market release at a time when consumer demand typically rises, particularly for staple food.
By channelling rice through State-run and cooperative retail outlets, authorities aim to improve availability and moderate excessive price volatility, even as they acknowledge limits to direct intervention.
Responding to questions on whether the Government would distribute rice at controlled prices during the festive season, Dr. Jayatissa said the State neither intends nor has the capacity to impose price controls.
However, he indicated that the Government would consider offering rice at concessional prices through its networks and would press traders to ensure staple varieties are sold at reasonable rates.
The move to activate PMB stocks also provides an outlet for paddy already purchased from farmers, reducing storage burdens, while supporting market supply.
