Warehouse crisis for Sri Lanka's paddy harvest

While Sri Lankan farmers complain that they are facing difficulties in selling their harvest in the Yala season, the Paddy Marketing Board says it has taken steps to transport the present stocks to warehouses in other areas to provide space to store the produce of the current season in the areas such as Ampara and Polonnaruwa districts.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade, Anura Sriwardena says that the Ministry has had fruitful discussions with the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide temporary storage facilities.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) K. D. Jayasinghe said that the harvest expected in Yala season is 600,000 tons. He further said that the government will have to rent out warehouses from the private sector to store paddy.
Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade sources point out that there were 356 warehouses belonging to the PMB earlier and the number has dwindled to around 200 now as a result of more than 140 warehouses were being sold to the private sector and another section being destroyed or badly damaged in the war.
Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) K. D. Jayasinghe said that steps were being taken to acquire the sold or leased warehouses and also to repair the damaged ones.