The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

¶ 01 Question to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation:

¶ 02 Paddy Marketing Board: Purchase of Paddy (310/2024)

¶ 03 (a) Will he inform this House— (i) the date on which the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) was established; (ii) the quantity and value of paddy purchased by the PMB over the past three years, per district, separately; (iii) the number of centres established for purchasing paddy per district, separately; (iv) the number of paddy storage facilities per district, separately; and (v) the percentage of paddy purchased annually by the Government, out of the total harvest per district, separately?

¶ 04 (b) Will he also inform this House, separately— (i) the amount of money provided by State banks to small and large-scale paddy mill owners over the past three years; (ii) the quantity of paddy purchased by those mill owners during that period; (iii) the names of the mill owners, with the quantities and values purchased; and (iv) whether a system will be established to convert paddy into rice and distribute it at district level?

¶ 05 (c) If not, why?