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Govt. to break monopoly of big paddy millers
View(s):The Government will introduce a quota system to issue paddy to small and medium scale rice millers to end the monopoly by large scale millers, a state minister said.
Development Banking State Minister Shehan Semasinghe told the Sunday Times the decision was taken at a meeting to discuss the current issue over the increasing rice prices.
“We feel that the small and medium scale paddy millers do not get sufficient rice stocks and therefore the large scale millers are able to determine the prices,” he said.
Mr Semasinghe said that they had begun registering small and medium scale millers to provide them with the quota of paddy.
He said the scheme would come into effect with the next harvest next month.
Rice prices shot up to more than Rs 100 a kilo with some of the varieties selling at Rs 110.
The government has introduced a price of Nadu (white and red), Samba (White and red) at Rs 98 a kilo.
Among the top rice mills are Dudley Sirisena’s Araliya rice mill, Siripala Gamlath’s Nipuna rice mill owned and Lankeshwarage Mithrapala’s New Rathna rice mill.