• Report to precede complaint to CID, employees blame complicit PMB head office/regional offices’ officials

The Ministry of Agriculture has called for an urgent report from the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) prior to taking further steps, including filing a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), regarding the alleged disappearance of paddy worth nearly Rs. 100 million from five warehouses belonging to the PMB in the Kurunegala District.

A group of employees of the PMB had lodged a complaint with Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, alleging that paddy purchased during several cultivation seasons in 2020 and 2021, and then stored in five PMB warehouses in the Kurunegala District, had disappeared.

They had also claimed that certain officials of the PMB’s head office in Colombo as well as those of certain regional offices were behind the alleged disappearance of paddy stocks. According to the ministry, paddy stored in warehouses in Nikaweratiya, Polgahawela, Mahawa, and two other locations with a total value of around Rs. 100 million had disappeared.

The ministry stated that Amaraweera had instructed PMB Chairman and attorney Buddhika Iddamalgoda to submit a report on the matter within three days from Monday (23). According to the ministry, future steps, including the filing of a complaint with the CID on the matter, would be taken following the receipt of the said report.

Iddamalgoda was not available for comment on the progress of the preparation of the report.