COLOMBO – A consignment of 11,000 MT of rice, which arrived in Sri Lanka under the US$ 1 billion concessional Indian Credit Facility was ceremonially handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka by officials of the High Commission of India on Tuesday (12). The consignment adds to the 5000 MT of rice received in the past few days under the Credit Facility, and is part of the 40,000 MT to be imported by the State Trading Corporation from India.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, noted that the delivery of rice was affected less than one month after the signing of the US$ 1 billion Credit Facility Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the State Bank of India on March 17, 2022. It described the supply as a part of the multi-pronged support extended from India to Sri Lanka in the last few months, which includes timely supply of fuel and other forms of economic and forex support.
The expeditious supply, before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, is in line with the understandings reached regarding India’s support for Sri Lanka’s energy and food security, the statement noted, adding that the assistance comes in the wake of a successful visit by the External Affairs Minister of India to Sri Lanka last month during which India’s continued support to the people of Sri Lanka was reiterated.
-ENCL