More than 46,000 metric tonnes of paddy have been purchased so far under the Government's paddy procurement programme, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunarathna said.
He said the paddy purchasing process is still continuing.
The Deputy Minister made these remarks while speaking at a media briefing today (31).
He also stated that paddy purchasing through rice mills and cooperatives, with Government intervention, has now commenced.
The paddy purchasing programme for the Yala season commenced on July 13. Accordingly, the Paddy Marketing Board opened paddy storage facilities in areas with the highest levels of paddy harvesting and commenced the purchasing process.
The Government had previously announced that it expected to purchase approximately 39,500 metric tonnes of paddy under this year's programme.
However, the Government has exceeded that target in its paddy purchases.
Speaking at the recent Cabinet decisions media briefing, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa also stated that the Government had purchased paddy beyond the expected target.
