Currently there is a severe shortage of wheat flour in the country and the two main companies importing wheat flour have restricted the release of stocks to the market, revealed the All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association, speaking to a briefing yesterday (27).
Accordingly, those bringing wheat flour to Sri Lanka from India have raised the price of a kilo of wheat flour to Rs. 350, said Union President N.K. Jayawardena.
“There is a severe shortage of wheat flour in Sri Lanka today. The country’s flour requirement was filled by two companies. Those two do not receive the dollars required to import wheat seeds. Therefore, they distribute only 25 per cent of the country’s total flour demand,” the Union President said.
He added: “Then it made a deficit of 75 per cent. As a solution, wheat flour was imported from India and Turkey. Private traders brought in such imports and calmed the situation. The day before yesterday, India temporarily banned the export of wheat flour. At the same time, businessmen who had brought flour from India to Sri Lanka have raised the price of flour which was at Rs. 200 – 210 up to Rs. 350 now. This is very unfair. Are we to continue like this, we may not see even a piece of bread in the future. A loaf of bread may cost Rs. 250 – 300.”
MIAP
