The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) will begin purchasing paddy from the 2026 Yala cultivation season today (13), marking the start of the government’s procurement program for this year’s harvest.
PMB Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda said paddy collection centres have been opened in areas currently recording the highest yields, with procurement operations commencing accordingly.
He noted that large-scale harvesting is underway in the Northern, Eastern and Ampara districts, and purchasing activities will initially focus on those regions.
Under the guaranteed price scheme announced by the PMB, Nadu paddy will be purchased at Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba at Rs. 130 per kilogram, and Keeri Samba at Rs. 140 per kilogram.
The Board has also completed arrangements to purchase paddy through 143 storage facilities located across the country.
The government has allocated Rs. 6 billion to finance the procurement programme, while an additional Rs. 10 billion has been made available through an overdraft loan facility.
According to the PMB, the programme is also expected to help small and medium-scale rice mill owners build up paddy stocks, with the Department of Agrarian Development overseeing the procurement process.
