As the Yala season paddy harvest begins across Polonnaruwa District, farmers are raising serious concerns over the lack of access to government paddy warehouses, which remain largely unopened despite the ongoing harvest.
Polonnaruwa accounts for about 17% of Sri Lanka’s total Yala season paddy production, with 69,100 hectares cultivated this season, supporting around 74,000 farming families. The expected yield is estimated at 350,000 metric tons, and harvesting has already started in several areas.
In the Kirimetipitiya farming zone near the Ilukpitiya reservoir, harvesting is underway on 100 acres, benefiting 80 farming families. However, farmers claim that the government is not purchasing paddy at the announced prices.
Another major issue is the unopened government paddy warehouses essential for storing the harvested grain. Polonnaruwa District has 38 government-owned warehouses managed by the Paddy Marketing Board. According to District Secretary S. Ekanayake, only 5 warehouses are currently open, and 15 more will be made operational once harvesting is completed.
