Paddy mill owners and traders agree to sell rice under the government price formula

Paddy mill owners, rice importers and wholesale dealers further assure the government that rice will be sold under the prices stipulated by the government.
They made this assurance at a meeting held this afternoon with the participation of Minister Bandula Gunawardena and Secretary to the Treasury Dr. P.B. Jayasundara. They requested the government not to impose a controlled price for wholesale prices of rice.
Minister Gunawardena pointed out that there would be no such need if the dealers supply rice to the market at the controlled price. These retail price limits are not applicable to rice verities such as Basmati.

The businessmen expressed the hope that rice could be sold below the controlled prices in future. Paddy mill owners also promised to the Minister that they would purchase paddy from farmers above the government’s guaranteed prices.