The Hon. D.V. Chanaka
Hon. D.V. Chanaka questioned the Government’s rice import process, citing media reports of credit terms, inspection requirements, and four failed tenders. He argued that imports made at an exchange rate of Rs. 292 still resulted in higher retail rice prices than in 2023 when the dollar was Rs. 320, causing losses to consumers. He also alleged that the President’s decision to raise millers’ margins by Rs. 10 per kilogram for 100 days gave millers Rs. 6.5 billion in additional profit at the public’s expense.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 But newspapers reported you sought credit terms and imposed checks in both countries. You called four failed tenders, and when you finally imported with the exchange at Rs. 292, rice retailed at Rs. 240–242 per kg, whereas in 2023 at Rs. 320 per USD, imported Nadu was around Rs. 205/kg and white Kekulu Rs. 188/kg. The public bore a loss. Meanwhile, the President raised the millers’ margin by Rs. 10/kg for 100 days—Rs. 6.5 billion extra profit to millers—hurting consumers.
¶ 02 Thank you.
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/25232