Govt. declares rice mills an essential service

Friday, 10 April 2020 14:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government today 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 islandwide levels respectively.

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