Sri Lanka, Aug. 12 -- A meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and small and medium-scale paddy mill owners was held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (11) to discuss securing the contribution of small and medium-scale businesses towards maintaining a stable price for paddy and ensuring that paddy is purchased from farmers at a fair price.

During the meeting, the mill owners briefed the President on the issues they have encountered in conducting their operations. They also apprised him of difficulties faced in purchasing paddy and in dealing with banks under the Odapana loan scheme.

They proposed establishing a mechanism to provide funds for paddy purchases through District Secretaries or Divisional Secretaries. They...