Poultry farmers, bakeries commend Litro Gas for continuous support amid crisis

Litro Gas Lanka Limited said this week it has observed a revival in the food and beverages industry which was suffering for months due to the shortage of essential items as a consequence of the forex crisis.

Commenting on the restaurant industry returning to normalcy, Chairman of Litro Muditha Peiris noted: “We are pleased the small and medium businesses are getting back on their feet. Most businesses that suspended their operations during the gas shortage have resumed their operations. We strive to ensure an uninterrupted gas supply in the future to protect the larger players and the SME sector alike.”

In a media release, he said Litro was pleased to be the first among essential services to eliminate long queues by importing 100,000 metric tonnes of LPG with World Bank funding. Litro also singlehandedly managed to cater to the domestic sector with 2.2 million cylinders over a period of 20 days when its direct competitor suspended operations temporarily.

Meanwhile President of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association, N K. Jayawardena, commending Litro said: “The past few months have been challenging but Litro stepping up and ensuring uninterrupted LPG supply was commendable. Even at the peak of the crisis Litro assured at least 50 per cent of the total requirement. We are indebted to Litro for coming to our rescue when the competitor/ alternative supplier suspended operations. Now that the shortage is under control, we are grateful to Litro for continuous price reductions enabling us to keep prices of bakery products stable thus affordable to the ordinary citizen.”

Representing the poultry industry, CEO/Director of CIC Feeds and President of Sri Lanka Poultry Forum, Ajith Weerasinghe, commented: “Litro has been our go-to LPG provider ever since gas became the preferred source of energy for heating/incubation purposes. Even during the global pandemic, poultry was one of the few industries that managed to stay afloat thanks to suppliers such as Litro who went the extra mile. While we had to go looking for other essential inputs during the pandemic, and later the shortage of essential items early this year, Litro made sure their products were delivered to our doorstep in a timely manner. As a result, we did not have to suspend our operations which isn’t actually an option given the nature of the business. On behalf of poultry farmers, I would like to thank Litro for understanding our grievances and prioritising and addressing them accordingly.”

Litro is one of the few profit-making, state-owned enterprises in Sri Lanka.