Govt. to import rice, maize and eggs

Wednesday, 20 December 2023 00:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

To address the shortage in the market, the Government has decided to import rice, maize and eggs with the Cabinet Ministers giving their nod to the move at their meeting on Monday.

The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security to import 50,000 metric tons of GR 11 rice category which is similar to Keeri Samba by the private sector, creating a competition between Keeri Samba and Samba rice in the local market, with the intention of providing the price advantage to the consumer.

Another move approved was the importation of maize by the Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation.

The Government said there is a shortage of raw material required for the production of poultry feed due to insufficient stocks of maize in the open market.

As a temporary measure for this, the Department of Animal Production and Health has given the necessary licence to the Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation to import 15,000 metric tons of maize. Cabinet approved President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to purchase 15,000 MT of maize from registered foreign suppliers through the Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation.

Separately the Cabinet also approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security to further import 18 million eggs before 31 December 2023 from Indian farms that have been recommended already by the Department of Animal Production and Health, since there is a possibility of an escalation of retail price of eggs within the local open market.

Eggs were first imported from India following a Cabinet approval in August this year with STC sourcing 155 million eggs.