Rice market pressure easing as imports start arriving at retailers

• ‘Shortages are over’ - Bathiudeen 
• Imported rice stabilises shortages
• Minister visits Colombo rice warehouse unannounced
• Some rice sellers now selling rice below MRPs
• 250 CAA officials in island-wide raids
• CAA’s 1977 hotline opened  

 As imported rice volumes began feeding into domestic retail and wholesale channels, the Minister of Industry and Commerce began making surprise visits to learn about the market status firsthand.

“There is no shortage of rice in the market as speculated,” said Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. Minister Bathiudeen, who was accompanied by officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), was addressing the media during a visit to a privately-owned rice warehouse at Fifth Cross Street, Colombo, on 15 February. 

“Imported rice is now distributed and the rice shortages are now ending,” he said. 

“I visited many shops and rice wholesalers around here in Colombo and all of them are selling rice at the given Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) and certain places are selling competitively at even lower prices. For example, at this sales shop in Colombo 5, Ponni Samba is sold at Rs. 64 when the MRP for it is Rs. 80. Consumers are requested to call our hotline 1977 to complain about errant rice sellers anywhere in Sri Lanka. 250 officers of the CAA are raiding shops across the island today. I ask individuals to refrain from spreading false info and rumours about this. This rice I am talking about today is not the domestically milled rice but imported rice for which we reduced the import tax to a mere Rs. 5.”

The wholesale rice distribution warehouse that was inspected by Minister Bathiudeen was not chosen by the Minister or the CAA but by accompanying media personnel.

By order No. 41 issued by the CAA under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003’s section 20(5), MRPs for three rice varieties - Nadu, Raw Rice and Samba - was set at Rs. 72 for a kilogramme of Nadu, Rs. 70 for a kilogramme of Raw Rice and Rs. 80 for a kilogramme of Samba (excluding Keeri Samba and Suduru Samba).