Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam
2026-03-04
Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam raised a supplementary question regarding the Paddy Marketing Board's (PMB) per-farmer purchase ceiling. He argued that since the Agriculture Department provides fertilizer allocations for up to five acres per farmer, capable of yielding approximately 10,000 kg of paddy, the current government purchase limit of 2,500 kg per farmer is disproportionately low and restricts farmers' benefits. He called on the Government to increase the PMB's per-farmer paddy purchasing ceiling accordingly.
Thank you, Hon. Deputy Minister. My first supplementary question is on paddy purchasing limits. Through the Agriculture Department, each farmer now receives fertilizer for five acres; even at normal yields, an acre can produce 2,000 kg of paddy, so five acres can produce about 10,000 kg. At present the Government buys only 2,500 kg from each farmer, which limits the benefit. Can this per‑farmer PMB purchase ceiling be increased?