The Hon. Namal Karunaratne — Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock

¶ 01 Hon. Member, when we assumed office, many PMB stores were closed and even their steel had been removed; stores were left open to the elements and animals. Our first task was to repair and reopen them, with significant assistance from the Army.

¶ 02 At that time, the Government’s cost of production for Nadu was Rs. 99.75 per kilo, with a controlled price of Rs. 105, yet stores were not opened and Polonnaruwa farmers sold at Rs. 60–65. We changed that. Based on the official cost of Rs. 92 per kilo for Nadu, we added 30%, setting Rs. 120 per kilo—giving about Rs. 28 net profit to farmers. Samba rose from Rs. 115 to Rs. 125; Keeri Samba also increased. This season, PMB buys at Rs. 120 for Nadu, and Samba has been raised to Rs. 130 (from Rs. 125 last season) and Keeri Samba to Rs. 140 (from Rs. 130). As of last Friday, over 13,000 MT have been delivered to PMB stores, with many samples submitted. We are ready to purchase what is brought to PMB at these prices. Though PMB has no legal provision to buy wet paddy, we have arranged drying solutions: two dryers already installed in Thalawa and being added in Ampara to help farmers.