Market intervention to bring relief to consumers

Vessel carrying 500 MT chicken and two million eggs will arrive tonight

The Sri Lankan Government has decided to do a ‘market intervention’ to bring relief to consumers during this festive season with a view to arrest the soaring prices of some essential commodities

The internal Trade and Co-operatives ministry has decided to import chicken and coconut from India. As India has stopped exporting of onion the govt. has turned towards Pakistan to import onion from them.

According to sources about 2.7 billion coconuts are produced each year
in Sri Lanka - officials estimate the direct consumption is around 90
coconuts per person per year. Urban development, adverse weather
conditions, and increasing demand from the desiccated coconut and
coconut oil industries have seen production in decline, and prices
rising.

The government also took some regulatory measures by stipulating
maximum retail price for rice and chicken. Accordingly one KG of Samba
rice has been fixed at Rs 70/ while other lower varieties such as Nadu
for Rs 60/ per kg.  The control price for chicken is Rs 350/ per kg.
As the demand for chicken increases during the festive season
government decided to import 2000 MT of chicken. The government has
also moved to ban the felling of coconut trees - enacting 1986
regulations to control felling without permission

“A vessel carrying 500 MT of chicken and 2 million eggs will arrive in
the country tonight” a Trade ministry official told news.lk He said
that the eggs will be sold between Rs 11 and 12 while the chicken will
be priced at the control price or even lesser.