Just a day after Trade Minister Johnston Fernando threatened to fight the “rice” mafia, the Ministry of Trade today announced that it would sell imported rice at cheaper rates from tomorrow – through Lanka Sathosa outlets.

Lanka Sathosa will sell imported Samba at Rs. 60 per kg, Nadu at Rs. 55 kg and white raw rice at Rs. 50 per kg at Lanka Sathosa outlets.

Minister Fernando said yesterday that there was a plan to create an artificial shortage of rice leading to a price hike ahead of the presidential election. He added that the Trade Ministry would import rice and sell them to the public at cheaper rates in the face of any such development.

He was alluding to Dudley Sirisena, the brother of common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena, who is one of three largest rice traders in the country. It is clear that the move is aimed in the direction of lessening Dudley Sirisena's influence on the rice market of Sri Lanka. 

The opposition, over the past several years, leveled allegations at Maithripala Sirisena saying that his brother was a key element in the “rice mafia” of Polonnaruwa controlling the price of rice at their discretion.