Less facilities prevail for the stocking of paddy in the Nuwaragala Division, coming under the Mahaweli B Zone. As such the Paddy Marketing Board is using lorries for the purchase of paddy from the cultivators.

Regional Manager of the Paddy Marketing Board of the Polonnaruwa Zone Nimal Ekanayake said this programme is effective from yesterday. 6000 metric tons of paddy had already been purchased from the Polonnaruwa District alone.

The programme is successfully operative and the Paddy Marketing Board claims that no issues have so far surfaced. Farmers in the area point out that the purchase of paddy at the Guaranteed Price assured by the Government is a great relief for them.