JVP predicts dark days with shortages and sharp price increases

By Saman Indrajith

The JVP predicts darker days ahead for consumers with sharp increases in rice prices soon.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Monday, party’s General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that there was continuous skyrocketing of prices of essential goods and there were also shortages of many food items. “It is a big joke to expect a dollar-starved government being able to import rice enough to cover the demand. The government may tell people so but the problem is it does not have sufficient dollars to import to replenish markets to bring about price stability. Before speaking of importing rice to control price increases, the government has to solve its forex crisis,” Silva said.

 He said that people fear long queues at retail stores soon if the trend continued further. “The government does not have policies to run the economy and has resorted to experimentation. It banned import of many items, including food, turmeric and chemical fertiliser telling people that it would encourage local farmers and organic farming. Their bans created more problems than solving any. It was an urgent and not well-planned import ban. It could not halt the problem of forex-outflow, but resulted in creating multiple crises at different levels, from the farm to the food table,” Silva said.

The JVP general secretary said that rice prices would increase sharply in the coming weeks and months. “Farmers do not have fertiliser to cultivate for the Maha season. No agrochemicals are available. Therefore it is clear that there will be a poor harvest and resultant shortage of rice followed by price increases. Some Ministers boasted that they will allow rice imports to control such price increases. The government has no dollars to import oil or at least to get the goods stuck in the harbour cleared.  Some other ministers speak of promoting local agriculture and industries to cut down dependency on foreign products. Some of them have been harping to the same tune that milk powder is not healthy. But none of them speak of a plan to promote fresh milk among people. The same government that says milk-powder is not good for health opens liquor shops even though there is a lockdown,” Silva said.