Countrywide raids to nab errant traders

by L.S. Ananda WEDARACHCHI

Certain traders have started hoarding Samba rice to create an artificial shortage during the forthcoming Sinhala/Hindu New Year festive season. The Consumer Affairs Authority was instructed to carry out countrywide raids to nab such errant traders, Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardhana told Sunday Observer yesterday.

The Eastern Province after the liberation from the terrorists produced a bumper paddy harvest of 738,862 tones of rice during current Maha Season. Farmers of the East had cultivated an additional 131,176 hectares of paddy land.

It was double the harvest reaped during the last Yala season. The paddy harvest of the other agricultural provinces for the Maha season was also similarly high due to the good weather, fertiliser subsidy and the Government's ongoing food production drive of Api Wavamu, Rata Nagamu project, he said.

He said that it was certain the prices of Samba and other rice varieties would come down in March when the bumper paddy harvest stocks reached the market.

The Cabinet sub-committee on the cost of living presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa met on Tuesday and decided to continue the price control of rice in future too.

The Trade Minister referring to the oil and gas price drop said that the State and Co-operative Marketing network must be expanded and strengthened to pass the benefits of the drop in oil and gas prices to the public.

The black marketeers do not reduce their prices which were increased due to the oil price hike, even when fuel prices were reduced.

Shell and Laugfs 12.5 kg gas cylinder price was reduced by Rs. 790 and Rs. 554 respectively during last five months. Diesel, kerosene and petrol prices also dropped by Rs. 40 and Rs. 37 respectively during the same period, he said.