Govt. keeps rice mills open, assures no shortage

Thursday, 9 April 2020 13:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In an effort to continuously supply rice, the Government has decided to keep rice mills open to prevent a shortage of rice and high-level discussions are underway to announce rice mills as an essential service if necessary, the Prime Minister’s Media Division said in statement.

The decision was taken during a meeting held with the participation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to expedite the distribution of essential food items to every part of the country.

According to the Prime Minister’s Media Division, the Government has adequate stocks of rice and there is no shortage of essential food items.

“The President and Prime Minister instructed officials to set up a special mechanism to distribute essential food items to those who are unable to return to their home towns due to curfew. The progress of distribution of medicine was also discussed at the meeting,” it said.

The statement further said the Prime Minister had instructed Finance Ministry Secretary S.R. Attygalle to take necessary measures to address issues with regard to fisheries industries and discuss with the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation on introducing necessary measures.