Paddy shortage forces Marandagahamula rice mills to close

• The situation would be worse during the festive season when the little stocks available now were over. We request the  government to recover the bulk stocks of paddy hidden in rice mills and  issue them to the small-scale rice mills

By Pushpakumara Mallawarachchi   

 About 60 rice mills in Marandagahamula area have ground to  a halt for want of adequate stocks of paddy, much to the anxiety of the  rice traders.   

 Marandagahamula Small and Medium Scale Rice Traders  Association has warned the available stocks of rice would be exhausted  in a couple of days, creating a shortage of rice.   

President of the association B.K.Ranjith told the media  yesterday that the government needed to intervene  and resolve this issue.   

 “Marandagahamula rice market is not receiving stocks of  Nadu, Samba and White Kekulu rice. We receive Kiri Samba and at present  all stocks in about 60 rice mills have been exhausted leaving us with a meagre stock of rice that will end in a couple of days. We are running  at a loss by purchasing paddy at black market prices and selling rice  for the control price. This is a serious crisis which the government  must resolve as a matter of priority but it is not likely. We have  purchased paddy for prices between Rs. 145 and 150 a kilo and sell rice  for the control price, incurring heavy losses.”   

 “The situation would be worse during the festive season when the little stocks available now were over. We request the  government to recover the bulk stocks of paddy hidden in rice mills and  issue them to the small-scale rice mills. Profiteers keeping stocks of  paddy were responsible for the prevailing crisis,” he said. 

 He said it is understood that the imported rice is  infested with weevils that the government should take steps to  guarantee the quality of imported rice and that it would be much better if the government dealt with the import of rice directly.