The price of rice in Sri Lanka is controlled not by the government but by several rice mill owners, former JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said that although the Minister of Agriculture had promised to reduce the price of rice, he was incapable of controlling the price.
Dr. Jayatissa stated this at a public meeting held at the PMD Hall, Maskeliya on Saturday (20) under the theme ‘System Fail’.
He further stated that the price of rice in this country is controlled by four big rice mill owners.
“Several of them are elected MPs from Polonnaruwa.Dudley Sirisena has no right to interfere in the affairs of this government. They are the ones who control the price of rice,” he said.
He added that women who are victims of the micro finance fraud are facing hard times and businesses have collapsed. “Even though the public strive to live with difficulties, the ruling parties have no hardships. “We are fighting for a daily wage of Rs.1,000 for the plantation community. This promise was given to them at every election but still we have to fight” he added.
Jayatissa stated that the government pledged to reduce the sugar tax as COVID-19 has affected the economy of the public and the tax of Rs. 50.00 was reduced to Rs. 25.
“Even though the tax was reduced the sugar price did not come down to Rs. 85.00. As soon as the sugar tax was reduced, a sugar ship was diverted to Sri Lanka by Sajad Mawzoon, a director of the Shangri-La Hotel Lanka. The government had reduced the sugar tax in order to make more profit from the sugar imported by Sajad Mawzoon and Shangri-La where meetings of the Viyath Maga and Pohottuwa were held during the last election,” he said.