Govt. declares rice mills an essential service

The Government yesterday declared rice mills an essential service in a bid to ensure uninterrupted supply. The move is aimed at mitigating any possible rice shortages in the market.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), small-scale rice mills have been instructed to distribute within their respective divisional secretariats, while medium and large-scale rice mills have been asked to distribute at district and island-wide levels, respectively.

As per the PMD, Sri Lanka has harvested three million tons of paddy, two-thirds of which have been kept in reserves. The Government, therefore, is confident in its ability to provide rice to the entire country without fear of any disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.