Solution to contrived shortages lies in empowering farmer organisations, co-ops and small millers.
The government should empower and work with farmers’ associations, cooperatives and small mill owners if it wanted to find a permanent solution to annual rice shortages experienced by the people, Chinthaka Rajapakshe of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) told The Island yesterday.
Rajapakshe added that during a televised meeting with large scale rice mill owners and government officials, the former insisted that they had purchased paddy from farmers at Rs. 55 and that it was impossible for them to sell at the stipulated prices.
The controlled prices are as follows; Rs. 90 per kilo of Nadu/ white and red samba, Rs. 85 per kilo white / red raw rice and Rs. 125 for a kilo of keeri samba.
However, the current market prices were much higher, Rajapakshe said.
“The government then asked the mill owners to release rice to the market, or it would be compelled to import rice. It also warned that they will release stocks in the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) warehouses. Unfortunately, the stocks, purchased by the PMB, are only sufficient to meet three days’ demand.
“So the government will be either compelled to pay massive sums to large-scale rice mill owners or to import rice. None of these are sustainable solutions.”
Rajapakshe said that the government should not accept the narrative of large mill owners that they had purchased paddy from farmers at Rs. 55 a kilo. Although the government had imposed a minimum purchase price for paddy at Rs. 55, large scale mill owners purchased paddy at between Rs. 30 and Rs. 45 per kilo.
“So they surely can sell rice at the controlled prices but they know that they can just hoard paddy and sell it at higher prices. This is why the government must empower and work with farmers’ associations, cooperatives and small mill owners to purchase paddy at a reasonable rate and distribute rice to consumers at an affordable rate.”
By Rathindra Kuruwita – The Island ,25.05,2020
Photos: Internet
