Hon. Kins Nelson
Hon. Kins Nelson questioned the Government about rice import measures taken during a recent shortage, noting that Sathosa, the State Trading Corporation and the private sector were permitted to import 160,000 metric tons and that a Rs. 65 per kg duty generated significant revenue. He asked whether, amid a renewed Nadu rice shortage ahead of the Sinhala and Hindu New Year and market prices exceeding the guaranteed price, the Government would pass any duty revenue relief to consumers or introduce special consumer-protection measures.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, my first supplementary is this: Amidst the recent shortage, the Government permitted Sathosa, the State Trading Corporation and private sector to import 160,000 MT of rice. Sathosa’s tender was reportedly rejected multiple times, while STC and private sector brought in the stocks. A duty of Rs. 65 per kg was levied, raising significant revenue. With Sinhala and Hindu New Year approaching, despite a guaranteed price of Rs. 225 per kg for rice, there is again a shortage of Nadu. Shop owners say they buy at Rs. 230 per kg. Will any relief from the revenue collected via the duty be passed on to consumers, or will there be special measures to protect consumers?
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 25 February 2025 ·No. 1741258607035810 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: Hon. Kins Nelson. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 25 February 2025. No. 1741258607035810. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/26571