Sri Lanka has decided to donate 7500 MT of rice to Somalia and a paddy stock of 15000 MT approx. will be released from Ampara and Polonnaruwa districts to produce rice for the purpose.
Sri Lanka expects a bumper paddy harvest during this Maha season as several thousands of acres in the North and East have been additionally brought under paddy cultivation. As per the Minister of Co-operative and Internal Trade storage facility is available for 100,000 MT of paddy in the 2011/12 Maha season. It was also revealed that storage facilities for additional 50,000 MT in Maha season are also available with the Paddy Marketing Boards in the paddy growing districts.
Apart from the above, storage facilities available with the Co-operative Societies and those constructed at Oyamaduwa under the Deyata Kirula 2012 project would als be used for storage purpose.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Government has intervened with paddy purchasing to maintain a price stability in the market. Government purchases Samba Paddy at Rs.30 per Kg and Nadu at Rs.28 per Kg.