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| Wednesday, 18 August 2004 |
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Move to check escalating prices: Cheaper rice, sugar and milk powder from next week by Shirajiv Sirimane The Ministry of Trade and Commerce has distributed over 50 tonnes of rice to the open market in a bid to reduce the cost of rice. According to the Minister of Trade and Commerce Jeyaraj Fernandopulle this is a temporary measure until the harvesting season to check the escalating price of rice in the open market. A kilo of rice will be sold at Rs. 27. The Ministry has purchased rice from farmers mainly from the North East, Kankesanthurai, Samanthurai, Ampara, Uhana, Kantale and Inginiyagala. Though the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) was privatised the government stills holds the monopoly in the wholesale market. "We have released the stocks of rice to the market through our wholesale network. The rice is now available with the CWE retail outlets," he said. The CWE has also decided to import 25,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil with immediate effect. These stocks are expected to be available in the market from the end of week. When the stocks arrive sugar would be available in the CWE outlets at Rs. 30 per kilo. The Ministry has also negotiated with Indian milk powder manufacturing companies to purchase milk powder directly. The milk powder would be available in 400 gramme packs and would be sold at CWE outlets at Rs. 100. The Ministry has assured that customers could purchase rice, milk powder and sugar at these prices from the CWE outlets from next week. Meanwhile, the Consumer Authority has directed the Laugfs Gas Company to reduce the price of a 12.5 household cylinder of gas. According to the Chairman of the Authority M. H. Mushin, they had granted permission for the Laugfs Gas company to raise the price of a 12.5 cylinder by only Rs. 30. This is due to the escalating gas prices in the world market. "However, they have raised the price by Rs. 50," he said. When contacted an official of the Laugfs Gas Company said that gas prices have hit a record high and accordingly they should have raised the price of a 12.5 domestic cylinder by Rs. 70. "This would have been too much for the consumer and hence we too decided to bear a part of the expense in the public interest," he said. He said that they are a private company and if some concessions or incentives are not provided to them by the government they would have to fold up business. He said that any government in power would have had to face the high cost of petroleum, gas and the increase of the dollar and people should be more patient. |
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