The President of Minipe Joint Farmer Organization A.M.Dharmasena said that purchasing of paddy from the Minipe farmer colony was satisfactorily carried out without causing any inconvenience to the farmers.  He said he himself observed how systematically the Paddy Marketing Board carried out paddy purchasing activities.

 

 

Dharmasena expressed these views at the Kandy District Agricultural Committee Meeting held yesterday (22) at the Auditorium of the Kandy District Secretariat.

 

 

Although  various media repeatedly carried out news items with regard to  problems in purchasing of paddy and problems that are being experienced by farmers  in several areas, Dharmasena emphasised that the farmers in  Minipe did not undergo such difficulties and thanked the government, the Kandy District Secretary H.M.P.Hitisekera and the officers of the PMB for this.

 

 

Addressing the meeting, Hitisekera said that the PMB should take an initiative in preparing a transparent programme where paddy could be purchased direct from the farmer  before the next paddy harvest.

 

 

The government has allocated 41 million rupees to purchase paddy from the Kandy District and storage facilities are available to store 7000 M/T of paddy from the Kandy District farmers.  The PMB has already purchased 896 M/T of paddy from the Kandy District including 750,450 Kg of White Nadu, 130,800 kg of White Samba, 8,050 Kg of Keeri Samba and 7,450 Kg of Red Nadu.  The Asst.Provincial Manager at PMB G.A.T.Nishantha Gurusinghe said balance amount of paddy could be easily purchased due to sufficient storage facilities.

 

 

Kandy Additional District Secretary Gamini Munasinghe, Kandy District Agricultural Director Dr.Y.Ketipearachchi, government officials and representatives of farmer organizations were present at the Committee Meeting.