The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe
Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe stated that rice import policy is aimed at protecting paddy farmers, noting that around 27% of the population depends on paddy cultivation. He said imports are being allowed where necessary, including permits for 200,000 MT of maize for poultry and other industries, and arrangements for beer producers to import their own annual rice requirement. He attributed current pressure on the rice market, particularly Kakulu rice, to animal feed and industrial demand, and said the Government would import required Kakulu quantities directly for those sectors to protect both consumers and industry.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 This is not about fear. About 27% of our people depend primarily on paddy cultivation. To protect farmers, we have import limits. We import as necessary. For poultry and other industries, we have already issued permits to import 200,000 MT of maize. We also discussed with beer producers who use about 18,000 MT of rice annually, to import their own requirement, which will not enter the consumer market. Thus local production suffices. Current pressure is from animal feed and some industries buying market rice, especially Kakulu. We will import the required Kakulu quantities directly to them, ensuring industry is protected.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 8 May 2025 ·No. 1748426168056758 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 May 2025. No. 1748426168056758. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/21868