Sajith questions rice imports despite claimed surplus

Tuesday, 25 August 2026 06:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has questioned the Government’s decision to import rice despite what he claimed was a domestic surplus, while criticising the guaranteed price offered to paddy farmers.

Premadasa said the Agriculture Minister had placed the production cost of a kilogram of paddy at around Rs. 137, compared with the guaranteed price of Rs. 120, leaving farmers with a Rs. 17 shortfall per kilogram.

He also claimed Sri Lanka produced about 3.2 million metric tons of rice against an annual requirement of around 2.5 million metric tons, but had nevertheless imported about 382,000 metric tons.

Premadasa said the Government had yet to fulfil its earlier pledge to introduce a legally guaranteed paddy price of Rs. 150 per kilogram.

He also questioned the effectiveness of the Rs. 7.5 billion allocated to strengthen small- and medium-scale rice millers, claiming farmers continued to face difficulties selling their harvest.

Premadasa made the remarks at an SJB “Sathkaraya” program in Galewela.