The Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development has announced price reductions on 18 essential food items sold through the state-owned retail network, Lanka Sathosa, in a bid to provide relief to consumers amid rising global market pressures.
The revised prices will take effect from Wednesday (10), the Ministry said.
According to the Ministry, the price reductions are intended to ease the cost-of-living burden on the public as international commodity markets continue to face uncertainty linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Officials noted that the new retail prices for selected items will be lower than the prevailing wholesale prices at Colombo’s Pettah market.
The products covered under the price reduction programme include several staple food items such as big onions, white sugar, lentils, cowpea, chickpeas, green gram, local cashew nuts, milk powder, red raw rice, red Nadu rice, Samba rice, white Nadu rice and Ponni Samba rice, among other essential commodities.
The Ministry said the initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to maintain food affordability and ensure consumers have access to essential goods at reasonable prices through the Lanka Sathosa network.