New Procedures to Stop Paddy Purchase Irregularities in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Agriculture is set to introduce new procedures to combat irregularities in the purchase of paddy. The measures were discussed at a meeting of the consultative committee on agriculture, livestock, lands, and irrigation, chaired by Minister K.D. Lall Kantha.

The committee engaged in extensive discussions on how to conduct paddy purchases efficiently at the government-stipulated guaranteed price. Key objectives include preventing fraud and corruption, and ensuring fair prices for farmers. A significant point of discussion was the provision of fertilizer beneficiary farmer lists from the Agrarian Services Department to paddy purchasing centers to prevent businesses from posing as farmers.

Furthermore, the committee emphasized verifying the quantity of paddy a farmer can sell based on the extent of land they have cultivated. This measure aims to prevent fraudulent sales of excess paddy. The importance of adopting a standardized system for weighing paddy during purchases was also highlighted.

Officials informed the committee that efforts are underway to expand storage facilities. This includes renting cooperative and private storage spaces on a lease basis to increase the government's storage capacity for paddy.