News
Deploying military to search hoarded rice sans intelligence a folly – FSP
By Anuradha Hiripitiyage
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) says that deploying troops to search for hoarded rice by millers would not yield the desired results.
Addressing the media in Colombo yesterday (29), FSP Propaganda Secretary, Duminda Nagamuwa, highlighted that there had been numerous instances where governments failed to recover hoarded rice from rogue millers with the help of the military.
“The military should not be involved in this process. It is not politically appropriate either. We remember how Gotabaya’s attempt to deploy the military to inspect the mills failed. Therefore, we urge the government to create a new structure to inspect rice mills and warehouses,” Nagamuwa said.
Nagamuwa emphasised that the government should form village-level committees comprising representatives from farmer cooperatives and state officials to inspect rice mills. Members of such committees would have access to real grassroots data on the quantities purchased by millers and would be able to trace where those stocks are being hoarded, Nagamuwa said.
“The rice mill mafia continues to control the market even under this government, which is struggling to resolve the issue. The President claimed that the mills did not have large stocks. This is a laughable statement. In the last Yala and Maha seasons, Sri Lanka produced 4.6 million metric tons of rice. Normally, 3.7 million metric tons are sufficient for the country’s annual consumption. The surplus is used for animal feed, beer production, and other purposes. Even so, there should be leftover stocks. Sixty percent of the total cultivated area was used for paddy cultivation. Now, there is a shortage of Nadu rice in the country. This is impossible. A shortage of red rice could happen, but what we are seeing now is the result of a cartel created by four or five major mill owners.
“These large-scale mill owners release around 300,000 kilos of rice to the market daily. The country’s daily requirement is 600,000 kilos. There are twenty second-tier rice mills in Sri Lanka. They release around 100,000 kilos of rice to the market daily, which is 30% of the daily requirement. If the major mill owners, who currently release 300,000 kilos daily, reduce their release to 200,000 kilos and then to 100,000 kilos, a rice shortage will immediately occur and prices will rise. This is an artificially created situation.
“The government claims that the mills do not have excess rice without conducting proper inspections. The so-called inspections that have been conducted cannot yield the desired results. Ongoing inspections involve sending government employees to the gates of the mills, where they simply turn back without conducting any real checks. This method will not solve the problem. Therefore, we propose that the government form a joint committee comprising representatives from farmer cooperatives and state officials from various regions to inspect the mills.”
News
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 to purchase four (04) automated passenger clearance gates for Bandaranayake International Airport.
In addition, it is expected to extend the automated passenger clearance gates facility so far given only to the Sri Lankans
parallel to the e – passport issuance system to be introduced in the year 2027 also to the foreigners who travel to and from this country.
Furthermore, considering also the number of air passengers rapidly increasing with the fast – forwarding business and tourism field, the appropriateness to increase the total automated passenger clearance gates up to twelve (12) in number has been recognized.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers, approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to initiate the procurement and installation of 12
automated passenger clearance gates altogether with the already approved four (04) and another eight (08) automated passenger clearance gates adhering to the formal procurement procedure
Based on the observations submitted by the Task Force on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing for Terrorism, approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 18.12.2024 to amend the Trust Ordinance No. 9 of 1917 including amendments proposed by the Financial
Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney General has been granted for the Trust (Amendment) Draft Bill formulated by the Legal Draftsman.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Justice and National Integration
to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby, submit the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Action was taken to provide a fuel relief for the fuel consumers during the months of April, May and June of 2026 to redress by minimizing the impact caused to the day today life of the citizens of this country as well as the entire economy due to the price hike of petroleum fuel in the global market resulting from the war situation in the Middle East.
Government mediation is essential for minimizing the impact on the day to today life of citizens in this country due to that war situation not being ended further. Therefore, it has been planned to redress on the sale price for Auto Diesel and Industrial Diesel for a period of 03 months by the Government to provide relief to the public as well as to maintain the prices at a bearable level to the consumers without escalating the fuel prices in this country compared to the escalation of fuel prices
in the international market.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to
allocate provisions subject to the monthly limitations respectively as rupees 15 billion for the month of October, rupees 13.5 billion for the month of November and rupees 12.15 billion for the month of December to provide the said relief
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Draft Bill for amending the Trust Ordinance
Implementing further relief programme to Public sffected by the Middle East conflict situation
Establishment of a Spectrum Management and Monitoring System and a Quality of Service and Quality of Experience System for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka
Appointment of a Committee for the Restitution of Sri Lankan Cultural Heritage Held Abroad
Ten-Year National Action Plan on the Social Protection Sector (2026–2035)
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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