Essential food items rice and sugar will come under the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) regime with effect from today, 

The announcement was made by Cooperative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna as the Government wrestles with the shortage of and resultant spike in prices of these and other essential commodities. 

“The Government conducted over 1,000 raids during the past couple of weeks to seize stashed warehouses around the country. The stocks of sugar, rice and paddy will be handed over to the Essential Services Coordination Commissioner General and will be distributed among the general public at an affordable price in the coming days,” State Minister Alagiyawanna told journalists.

He said most of these warehouses were unregistered at the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) as per the gazette notification issued. 

“A total of 52 rice mills with 9,000 tons in the Eastern Province and five large sugar storages with around 11,000 tons in the Western Province were seized during the raids conducted. The stocks of sugar will be delivered to Sathosa and Cooperative outlets today; thereafter, remaining stocks will be delivered to supermarkets and retailers,” he said.

The State Minister assured that there were stocks of sugar sufficient for the next two months in the country, and urged people not to panic buy.

He said stocks of sugar released from storages had been distributed to Sathosa outlets in Gampaha yesterday.

Alagiyawanna stressed that the CAA would continue its raids throughout the country and that it would conduct such missions today in North Central and Eastern Provinces in search of paddy and rice stocks.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday 31 August ordered emergency regulations to counter the hoarding of sugar, rice and other essential foods.

Following strict regulations in place, Alagiyawanna said the wholesale prices of sugar in Pettah had dropped from Rs. 210-220 to Rs. 150 per kilogram.

“This is what fair trade is. All this time the importers and traders were making an undue profit by creating an artificial price hike with hidden stockpiles,” he claimed.

The prices of rice and sugar increased uncontrollably amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite various measures within the existing legal framework by the Trade Ministry, State Ministry and the CAA.

He also said that the amended Consumer Affairs Act would be implemented from next month.

Alagiyawanna said that raw sugar stocks produced in the country were being sold at Rs. 130 per kilogram at Sathosa and Cooperatives outlets across the country.

The State Minister expressed hope to reduce the price of sugar in the domestic market within a short period of time. (CdeS)

29,900 MT of hoarded sugar to be sold to consumers