President calls for mechanism to reduce food prices

President Mahinda Rajapaksa highlighted the necessity of a methodology to buy vegetables at a concessionary price giving redress to consumers. No party should incur losses due to vegetable prices.

The producer, vendor and consumer should be benefited with a sufficient profit through this mechanism, he said.

He was addressing the Cost of Living and Food Preservation Committee at Temple Trees on Tuesday.

President Rajapaksa directed government officials to buy 400,000 plastic containers to transport vegetables and issue them to the market immediately.

The President said traders from the city should be able to go to those areas and buy their products. It was revealed that the Government has bought over 182,513 metric tonnes of paddy and only 15,283 metric tonnes has been released to the market. The balance paddy stock has been stored in government stores for future use.

Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, C. B. Rathnayake, Jagath Pushpakumara, Mahinda Samarasinghe, P. Dayarathna, S. B. Nawinna, Johnston Fernando, Geethanjana Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunga, Secretary to the Treasury P. B. Jayasundera and Media Ministry Secretary W. B. Ganegala also attended the meeting.