SUNDAY, 17 AUGUST 2014
A massive rice mafia is active within the government says the President of All Ceylon Farmers Federation and Member of North-Western PC Namal Karunaratna. He made this observation in an interview with a weekend newspaper.
Speaking further Mr. Karunaratna says, “Today, traders have become owners of the rice mills of the government .These traders bought stocks of paddy and hoarded it. It is to create an artificial rice shortage and raise prices. The government neither confronts this situation nor does it have a programme to arrest such a situation. What the government states is that the prices of rice went up due to the drought.
We don’t accept it. The harvest for Yala season is gathered during this month. If so there is no way the drought could influence the harvest. It would have an effect in December – January period. The government comes out of such excuses to hide its impotency as it does not have a proper plan.
Sri Lanka needs 193000 metric tons of rice for consumption for a month. The need for a year is 2320000 metric tons. To get such a harvest 2 million acres of paddy land should be cultivated. What’s the programme the government has for this issue? The paddy that is bought for Rs.20 a kilo is turned into rice and sold for nearly Rs.100. The businessman gets 1:2 profit. The farmer is being exploited. The consumer too is exploited. A government should be able to mediate in such matters and to control the situation. Nothing of that sort happens now.”
