Paddy cultivators complain of exploitation by traders

Farmers’ associations across the country have claimed that the government is not purchasing paddy and that private individuals are buying paddy at low prices.

Maha harvesting has begun in most paddy growing areas of the country, All-Ceylon Agrarian Federation (ACAF), Namal Karunaratne said yesterday.Farmers claim that a kilo of Nadu is being bought at 84 rupees, he said.

“Samba is bought at 95 and Keeri Samba is being bought at 126 rupees a kilo.”

Meanwhile, T.B. Karan, the General Secretary of the Federation, also complained that the Paddy Marketing Board is not purchasing paddy.

“We heard that the government is issuing money to the private sector to buy paddy. This is ludicrous, if true,” he said.