SLSI permission given:

Cement containers get green light

Chaminda PERERA

The Cooperative Board yesterday said that the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) has given permission to release three containers consisting of over 14,000 cement bags from the harbour.

According to Board chairman Bandu Ranawaka, this stock would be released to the market within few days.

This cement consignment imported from Pakistan was held by the Customs at harbour when the Sri Lanka Standards Institution informed that it has not given SLSI certification for the import of this cement consignment.

The Institute said that these cement stocks are available in the open market too. In this backdrop, Internal Trade and Cooperatives Minister Johnston Fernando had ordered the Consumer Affairs Authority to collect cement samples available in the market and test their quality and a ban was imposed for cement imported from Pakistan. The ban imposed on cement imported from Pakistan was lifted by the Minister on August 30 after tests conducted in foreign laboratories proved that the cement imported from Pakistan was of high quality.

Three cement companies requested the CAA to increase the price of a cement bag by Rs. 35 citing that the prices of raw materials have gone up in the world market. The CAA refused this request.