The Trade Ministry has decided to venture into import essential food items in a bid to provide stocks at competitive prices to consumers through state outlets.
As the first step, the government has decided to import sugar and dhal stocks from India and Australia respectively.
A cabinet paper submitted by Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena to open Letters of Credit to import sugar from National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and dhal through the JANTEC Group in Australia has been approved.
Minister Gunawardena said the objective was to provide dhal at a price of Rs 175 per kilogram and sugar at Rs 107 per kilogram as the retail prices.
Under the plan, some 2,500 metric tons each of sugar and dhal are to be imported.
A Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 212 helicopter belonging to the No. 72 squadron has crashed into the Madhuru Oya reservoir this morning, Air FOrce Media Spokesman Eranda Geeganage said.
Read this week’s Sunday Times for your interesting articles including the ’’5th Column’’.
Leave Comments