Sri Lanka Assured of Rice Supply; Govt Allocates Rs. 100 Cr for Storage, Considers Imports

Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, Vasantha Senanayake, has assured that Sri Lanka will not experience a rice shortage, even if a drought occurs. He announced that Rs. 100 crore has been allocated this year through the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) to improve paddy drying and storage facilities, with new machinery to be installed in the Southern and Northern provinces. The Minister also indicated that rice imports will be considered based on the country's needs, noting that 120,000 metric tons of substitute rice were imported in April. The current price for a kilogram of paddy is reported to be Rs. 120.