Farmer groups accuse mill owners of artificial rice shortage

Farmer organisation representatives are claiming that the shortage of Keeri Samba rice in the market is being caused by large-scale paddy mill owners creating an artificial rice shortage.

They indicate that the major mill owners are attempting to undermine the government and earn undue profits.

This comes as the United Rice Producers' Association recently warned that the country faces a risk of a rice shortage by December, owing to the government not possessing sufficient rice reserves.

Dudley Sirisena, a large-scale rice businessman, also responded to the current shortage of Keeri Samba rice in the market on Saturday (04).

Against this backdrop, Anuradha Thennakoon, the Chairman of the National Agrarian Unity, states that major paddy mill owners are attempting to earn undue profits by creating an artificial rice shortage.