By Xinhua,
Colombo : A consignment of rice from Myanmar is expected to reach the port of Colombo early next week that will meet the local market needs, a top official said Saturday.
R. M. K. Ratnayake, secretary to the Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs, said 7,000 metric tons of rice from Myanmar would arrive on May 27.
This was part of the 50,000 metric tons ordered by the Sri Lankan government in late March.
Escalation of retail rice prices due to a shortage prompted the government to place urgent orders with Myanmar.
The government early April imposed price control as means to ensure the availability of rice, the staple diet of the 20 million population.
“There is no shortage right now but we are concerned about August/September. If there is a problem then Myanmar rice will help us to overcome the situation,” Ratnayake told reporters.
He said the cyclone in Myanmar had delayed the rice shipments from arriving. The Sri Lankan rice crop was affected by heavy monsoon rains and floods in the last quarter of 2007.