Mr. Nalin Fernando, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Safety, has accused that the owners of large-scale paddy mills are hiding the stock of Keeri Samba rice without releasing it to the market.
Minister Nalin Fernando mentioned this recently (22) while attending a Ministry Advisory Committee meeting held in the Parliament.
Due to this situation, a shortage of keeri samba rice has been artificially created in the country, he said. The minister says that he is working to prevent the shortage in order to alleviate the relevant market situation.
Accordingly, the Minister mentioned that steps will be taken to import a stock of rice similar to Keeri Samba rice for the coming festive season.
In the past, these large-scale rice mill owners have bid as much as ten thousand rupees for a bundle of keeri samba paddy bundle, and their aim is to release keeri samba in the market at a higher price by creating a shortage of keeri samba.
Although many facts have been revealed regarding the rice mafia, it was discussed in the parliament that the relevant investigation teams were also misguided on their assets. It also stated that due to this, it has become clear that the owners of large-scale rice mills are operating with the aim of making large-scale profits from people’s rice grains.
