The Ministry of Agriculture has launched a comprehensive survey of paddy stocks across Sri Lanka to  assess current storage levels.

Ministry Secretary M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe said that the survey will be conducted today and tomorrow, with oversight from officers of the Consumer Affairs Authority. Key inspections will focus on paddy warehouses in the Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, and Ampara districts, which are known for their significant paddy reserves.

Both small and medium-scale, as well as large-scale paddy millers, will be subject to inspection. Wickramasinghe said that the findings will be reported to the President shortly thereafter.

The Ministry is also taking proactive measures to maintain safety stocks by purchasing the paddy harvest from the peak season through local millers, with plans for the Paddy Marketing Board to secure 400,000 metric tons of paddy.

In recent talks, the President and large-scale paddy mill owners reached an agreement to release rice at prices below the control limit; however, Wickramasinghe noted that market surveys indicate this has not yet materialized. Despite claims from rice mill owners about a shortage of Nadu rice, he pointed out that 78 percent of last season's paddy cultivation was dedicated to Nadu varieties.