Sugar importers request finance ministry to remove control price

Several major, large-scale sugar importers made a request to the Finance Ministry to remove the controlled price imposed on sugar.

The letter of request has been handed over to the Finance Minister by the importers.

Although the control price is imposed on sugar, the price in the market has increased.

Due to hoarding large consignments of sugar, the cost of sugar has increased to Rs. 230 a kg. Accordingly, a gazette notification was issued to sell white sugar at a controlled price of Rs. 122 per kg. The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said currently white sugar is being sold at Rs. 135 in the market.

Although the control price on brown sugar is Rs. 125,  the current retailers sell at Rs.135 per kg.

However, the sugar importers claimed that there were no white sugar available in the market but brown sugar is available freely. Due to lack of dollars, the importers are unable to import sugar into the country.

Meanwhile, the sugar importers' association vice president, Nihal Senavirathne, said sugar to the value of more than Rs.1,000 million is stuck at the Colombo port. He said more than 7, 000 metric tons of sugar in 300 plus containers are currently held up at the port.

Meanwhile, it was reported that 130 containers of sugar which were imported, have been re-exported by the import/export controller as a result it was not allowed to unload. About 3,500 metric tons of sugar worth more than Rs. 340 million were loaded in those  containers. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)