The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe

¶ 01 Hon. Member, in our overall rice production, the varieties you mentioned are limited. About 85% of consumption is Nadu; Keeri Samba is around 9%, and Samba around 5–6%. Keeri Samba production is relatively low while demand has increased—especially from the middle class and the hospitality sector serving tourists. Over the last three years, Keeri Samba consumption rose from about 6% to 9%. In response, last year about 70,000 hectares were cultivated in Yala and Maha, yielding around 240,000–280,000 MT. Coordinating with the Agriculture Ministry, for the 2026 Maha alone, 78,000 hectares of Keeri Samba have been cultivated, targeting close to 300,000 MT this season. However, Keeri Samba gains its best aroma and taste when milled about six months after harvest; thus stocks are being held. This creates a temporary shortfall. Therefore, we allowed limited substitution/import on two occasions to bridge the gap. We have also registered big mills with the Paddy Marketing Board. With varietal imbalances persisting, we doubled seed farm allocations and planned 55,000 hectares in Yala so that this season’s Keeri Samba output will exceed demand by about 1%. We will enforce guaranteed pricing—selling above Rs. 260 will be subject to raids by the CAA under its Act.