Price control on imported rice: Harrison

The Cabinet has decided to impose a price control on imported rice to prevent the price of rice from sky-rocketting, Rural Economic Affairs Minister P. Harrison said today.

“President Maithripala Sirisena and the Cabinet will decide on the price of imported rice,” he said adding that stocks of imported rice would arrive in the country within two weeks on tenders selected by Sathosa.

The minister said it was decided to import rice after several local rice millers failed to supply rice to Sathosa.

“Nearly 138 rice millers had been issued stocks of paddy and hand over the rice to Sathosa. But only 28 millers had done so. Others have sold their rice to the private sector and as such have been blacklisted and cases filed against them,” the minister said. “President Maithripala Sirisena plays no part in the family-run company and in no way nurtures his brothers, unlike what the previous government did,” he said.

The minister said rice mill owners were behind the rice mafia in the country and are attempting to gain a huge profit through the rice market.

He said the largest stock of 17,000 metric tons of paddy was released to Araliya Rice Mills proprietor Dudley Sirisena because he had made the highest bid. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Video by Janaka