Sri Lanka, June 25 -- Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha stated that millers await an increase in rice prices if paddy is purchased from the Paddy Marketing Board at 150 rupees. The Minister mentioned in Parliament today (24) that a problem arose regarding purchasing paddy from farmers at a higher price.

Further expressing his views, the Minister stated, "There is a problem regarding whether to increase the purchase price of paddy from the Paddy Marketing Board, or to create a method to provide another concession to them. If the price of paddy is brought up to about 150, millers wait to increase rice prices. Then a problem arises for consumers in general. There is such an issue. We work on the policy that an amount matching the cost must be...