The Sri Lankan government has taken a policy decision not to import rice.
The Secretary to the President has submitted a report to the cabinet of Ministers informing that although the price of rice has risen in the market, government’s decision not to import rice has saved US $ 100 million in foreign exchange.
According to the report, paddy harvesting of the Maha Season has commenced and it is expected to yield about 3 million metric tons of paddy.
The government has decided to provide a guaranteed price of Rs. 50 for a kilo of paddy and a program has been launched to purchase paddy form the farmers.