The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wish to clarify what the Hon. Leader of the Opposition raised. He said there is a shortage and queues. We have worked over recent days to resolve issues regarding gas. There are two main companies: the state-owned Litro, and the private Laugfs. Laugfs covers about 15–18 percent of the market, while Litro covers about 80–82 percent. Generally, Litro distributes 1,000–1,200 metric tons per day, and Laugfs an additional 250–300 metric tons.

¶ 02 The current issue arose because, for the past two to three weeks, Laugfs stopped distribution. That created fear among consumers that gas would run out. Many Laugfs cylinder holders rushed to obtain Litro gas, triggering a sudden spike in demand and localized shortages. We usually release 1,200 metric tons per day, but today, tomorrow, and Saturday we plan to release 1,500 metric tons per day to reduce the stress in the market. Litro will not allow a shortage at any time. We have about three days’ buffer stock and are ready to release as per orders. A ship is arriving on Sunday and another on Tuesday; the schedule is set. We have also informed Laugfs in writing to resume distribution immediately. The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) summoned them and today they confirmed in writing that they are bringing gas. Because Laugfs customers face problems when Laugfs is unavailable, they must urgently bring in supplies and distribute. According to our information, their ship is expected on the 25th. The panic buying and demand spike are due to consumers shifting because they could not obtain Laugfs gas.