COLOMBO – Sri Lanka will permit private importers to bring in up to 1,040 metric tonnes of substitute rice varieties to ease a shortage of Samba varieties, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters on Tuesday (March 31).
The decision follows warnings from the Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, and the Rice Research and Development Institute Sri Lanka that production during the 2025/26 Maha season would be insufficient, with an acute shortage expected by May 2026.
Jayatissa said the Food Policy and Security Committee had identified the need to import equivalent rice varieties to stabilize market supply and prices.
Under the approved measure, importers will be allowed to bring in rice classified under HS Code 1006.30.29, including Ponni Samba and Keeri/Paal Samba substitutes such as GR 11 varieties.
Imports will be permitted between April 1 and April 30, with all consignments required to be cleared through Sri Lanka Customs by May 31.
The Cabinet has also approved a waiver of import control licence requirements for these shipments, in a bid to expedite supply and mitigate anticipated shortages in the local market.
-ENCL
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