Rice and coconut oil to be imported

by Ananda Kannangara

Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operative and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardene said that the government has already taken steps to import 30,000 metric tonnes of rice and also coconut oil to ease the artificial shortage in the market.

Meanwhile, the Trade Ministry has suspended exporting fresh coconut during the Christmas season.

Minister Gunawardene said the private sector too will have to follow suit and a team of authorised officials have been deployed to crackdown traders who do not pass the Government's tax concession on consumers.