Former state minister Raghavan condemns rice cartel

A rice cartel operates in this country similar to oil and drug cartels abroad, and it is shameful that they become billionaires through the suffering of farmers, former State Minister Suren Raghavan said.

He made these remarks while participating in the Hiru TV Balaya programme broadcast last night (18).

If only three or four per cent of the paddy can be purchased from the money allocated by the government, and the rest is handed over to them, holding the largest warehouses in Asia and keeping them until the required price is reached lacks values, he further said.

If there is someone who can spend money regarding this matter, it should be taken before international law, he stated.

Suren Raghavan further commented:

"Do not ask me, 'Raghavan, we do business, we make profits, we buy helicopters, we buy Rolls Royces, what is it to you?' Because there are two million people in this country who cannot speak. It was not us who brought the farmers wearing loincloths to Pettah, but them. What is the government doing regarding this?"