The procurement of paddy for the Yala season will begin tomorrow (July 03).

The paddy purchasing initiative will be rolled out in Ampara, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and parts of the Northwestern and Southern regions.

The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock – Namal Karunaratne, in a statement to media.
The Paddy Marketing Board has allocated Rs. 600 million for the procurement process. As per the announced prices:

• Nadu paddy will be purchased at Rs. 120 per kilo
• Samba paddy at Rs. 125 per kilo
• Keeri Samba at Rs. 132 per kilo

Prices for wet paddy have also been fixed:

• Wet Nadu at Rs. 102 per kilo
• Wet Samba at Rs. 105 per kilo
• Wet Keeri Samba at Rs. 112 per kilo

However, the Deputy Minister has noted that only properly dried and standardized paddy will be accepted by government warehouses and urged all stakeholders to ensure fair treatment for farmers. He also highlighted that wet paddy cannot be accepted by the government warehouses, emphasizing the importance of proper drying to maintain quality standards.

Minister of Public Security – Ananda Wijepala says that new legislation will be introduced to tackle organized crime as the government moves to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

He explained that organized criminals are currently detained and questioned under the PTA, but with its repeal, new legal provisions are needed to handle such cases.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice is drafting a new Bill to ensure law enforcement retains the authority to detain and interrogate those involved in organized crime under updated laws.

The Ministry of Digital Economy Affairs in Sri Lanka has said that Tenders have been called from Indian companies to develop Sri Lanka’s new digital National Identity Card (e-NIC).

Deputy Minister – Eranga Weeraratne stated that a 04 month period will be given for this process.

The Deputy Minister added that the new digital NIC is expected to be issued by mid-2026.

In January, Weeraratne had clarified that the government has decided to cover half of this cost through assistance from India to meet the financial burden.