News
Turmeric importers plead with Minister to help get consignment held up at the port released
By Jagath Kanaherarachchi
The Turmeric Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka had requested Plantations Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana to assist them in having a consignment of one million kilos of turmeric released from the Colombo port, Chief Organiser of the association Sivalingam Elilventhan said.
He said that the turmeric was an ingredient used in Ayurveda medicine.
Elilventhan said that the stock of turmeric had been kept at the port since May and the importers had to pay for the delay in clearing it. “Demurrage is accumulating on a daily basis. Blocking the release of turmeric consignment has also resulted in a shortage of turmeric in the market. We hope the minister will bring this to the notice of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and help us.”
The shortage of turmeric had resulted in a price hike too, Elilvenathan said. The market price of a kilo of turmeric is Rs 750 but in the black market a kilo is sold at Rs 4,500. The blockade came following a decision by the government to stop importing turmeric. The consignment was on its way to the country when the decision was taken.
Elilvenathan said that they would promote local turmeric farmers by donating Rs. 100 million to cultivate turmeric here. Turmeric was a ten-month crop, he said. it took two months to process tumeric, he said, adding that currently the country was not growing turmeric on a commercial scale.
“The new crop season has just started in May and June and its harvest will come to the market in April next year. For every six kilos of raw turmeric we would get only one kilo of dry turmeric fingers. So, our farmers have to move for large scale cultivation to meet our annual demand which is around 5,500 metric tonnes. Last year, the country produced only 400 metric tonnes,” he added.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to provide the required provisions to purchase the green gram harvest in a competitive manner with the private sector by expanding the program initiated by the National Food Promotion Board, on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation,
Green gram has been cultivated in an area of about 16,500 hectares in the 2025 Yala Season and intermediate season and a harvest of about 14,600 metric tons of green gram is expected. Currently, green gram harvesting has started in the Hambantota district, and it has been reported that middlemen are buying the harvest for a low price of Rs. 450/- per kilogram.
Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 08-02-2021 to award 326 bridge construction contracts to the State Development and Construction Corporation for the construction of bridges across the island under the Rural Bridges Program.
The construction of a further 23 bridges has been assigned to the Road Development Authority.
It had been decided in the year 2022, to stop the construction of 184 bridges, where construction had not been initiated. The construction of 45 bridges from the 142 remaining bridges have already been completed.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban
Development to recommence the construction of the remaining 74 bridges by the State Development and Construction Corporation and to complete the construction expeditiously.
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 16.06.2025 to repeal the Parliamentary Pension Act No. 1 of 1971 of the State Council.
In keeping with the promise given to all Sri Lankans who supported the vision of ‘A wealthy country – A beautiful life’ which appeared in the policy declaration of the Government, a draft bill has been prepared by the Legal Draftsmen for
repealing the Parliamentary Pension Act with the objective of cancelling pensions rights given to elected members of the Parliament and their spouses.
As the Attorney General has given clearance to the draft bill, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justic and National Integration to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently to be presented to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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Purchasing of 2025 green gram harvest
Cabinet approves the completion 74 bridges under the Rural Bridge Program
‘Heartbroken’ Alcaraz pulls out of Davis Cup Finals
Parliamentary Pension Act No. 1 of 1971 to be repelled
Cabinet nod to appoint Dr. (Eng.) K. Waligepolage as Director General of Irrigation
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