PARLIAMENT

Hon. Ravi Karunanayake,— To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation,— (1)

(a) Will he inform this House of the —

(i) date on which the Paddy Marketing Board was established;

(ii) quantity and the value of paddy purchased by the Board over past 3 years per district, separately;

(iii) number of centers established for purchasing paddy per District, separately;

(iv) number of paddy storage facilities per district, separately; and

(v) percentage of paddy purchased by the government annually out of the total paddy harvest per district, separately?

(b) Will he also inform  this House, separately —

(i) of the amount of money provided by state banks to small and large scale paddy mill owners over past 3 years;

(ii) of the quantity of paddy purchased by those mill owners during that period;

(iii) of the names of the mill owners, along with the quantity and value of paddy they purchased during the above period; and

(iv) whether a system will be established to convert paddy into rice and  distribute it at district level?

(c) If not, why?