The Hon. D.V. Chanaka
Hon. D.V. Chanaka questioned the Minister on rice price controls, noting that varieties such as Keeri Samba were being sold above the controlled price and warning that similar increases had preceded wider price spikes. He argued that household rice expenditure from October to January had risen by about Rs. 16 billion compared with the previous year, placing an additional burden on the public. He also asked whether, during an estimated 70,000 MT shortfall, the Indian High Commission had proposed a Government-to-Government rice supply arrangement and whether the Government had imposed conditions on it.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Minister, even now prices exceed controlled levels—Keeri Samba at Rs. 300 vs Rs. 260. Kurulu Thuda is increasing; Samba started first last year too, and the broader spike followed.
¶ 02 Also, monthly household rice expenditure rose: pre-change (Oct 2023–Jan 2024) roughly Rs. 36–37 billion per month; post-change (Oct–Jan) it rose to Rs. 38.9, 39.4, 40.9, and 42.7 billion—about Rs. 16 billion more over four months compared to the previous year. This exceeds even the bond scam loss cited at COPE (Rs. 11 billion). Your Government’s handling has cost Rs. 16 billion extra to the public.
¶ 03 On rice imports: you said you would import as needed. When there was a 70,000 MT gap, did the Indian High Commission propose Government-to-Government supply? Did you impose conditions on them?
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 19 March 2025 ·No. 1748499233099643 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. D.V. Chanaka. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 March 2025. No. 1748499233099643. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/25230