The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe
Wasantha Samarasinghe stated that the Food Security Committee and Cabinet had taken short-term measures to curb food price increases by normalizing transport and supply chains. He said discussions were held with importers, producers, distributors, and the Pettah Traders’ Association to assess stocks and logistics, with fuel shortages and transport continuity identified as key constraints. He noted that the President had directed priority fuel allocation for health and essential goods transport, and cited current market prices for sugar, lentils, onions, and rice as evidence of easing prices.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, to control food price increases, the Food Security Committee has taken several decisions. The Cabinet has also decided to take immediate steps to normalize transport and supply chains as a short-term response. We have engaged with importers and stakeholders across production and distribution, including the Pettah Traders’ Association, flour producers, and milk powder producers, to assess stocks, logistics, and raw material availability. The immediate constraints are fuel availability and uninterrupted transport. H.E. the President has directed priority fuel allocation for health and essential goods transport. Accordingly, steps are being implemented.
¶ 02 Check today’s market: white sugar is around Rs. 208–210 per kg; red lentils around Rs. 270 per kg; onions around Rs. 140–160 per kg; and rice prices have also eased.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 20 March 2026 ·No. 23396 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 20 March 2026. No. 23396. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/8357