Srilanka, July 4 -- The Government has decided to donate 50 modern paddy drying machines to cooperative societies countrywide.

Each machine, valued at Rs. 10 million, has a drying capacity of nearly 10 tonnes per day. Accordingly, the Government has taken steps to allocate Rs.500 million in decentralized funds to support the development of active and stable cooperative societies.

The Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development stated that cooperative societies requiring the machinery can apply by submitting a proper project report.

This initiative will allow farmers to sell their harvests to cooperatives at higher prices and enable cooperative members to easily dry their yields using the provided machinery....