Greater policy and fiscal support to step-up local cultivation and produce
Seed bank to be set up
Import of wheat to be allowed subject to temporary import licenses as substitute for corn to help poultry industry
More lands, seeds, fertiliser and technology to increase corn cultivation
Fisheries Corporation to expand sales outlets by 40
Support to boost milk and coconut production
The Cabinet of Ministers on Monday agreed on fresh measures to ease the cost of living in the country.
The initial meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on the cost of living appointed to find policy and practical remedies required to maintain the cost of living within the country at a stable rate was held on 31 August with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the chair.
At Monday’s meeting the Cabinet granted its approval for the decisions tabled by the Minister of Trade taken at the sub-committee on the following facts in order to ensure the continuous supply of food items to the market without shortage and the regulation of the cost of living steadily and to take actions as per the decisions taken there upon.
The key considerations and measures are:
Paying more attention on the goods categories severely affected by the cost of living phenomenon when acted on it
Maintenance of a fixed local policy and limitation of imports only to essential items so that the farmer can be encouraged once again to cultivation
Preparation of a methodology for the consumers to obtain goods at a reasonable/fair price by imposing a proper price for the productions of the farmer since the price of the goods is escalating due to the influence from the mediators
Establishment of a seed bank as a remedy to the shortage of higher standard seed categories that can be cultivated locally as well as for the conservation of obsoleted local seed categories
Implementation of an efficient distribution methodology for the consumers to purchase products such as vegetable and fruits at a reasonable price across the regulation of price
Implementation of programs pioneered by the Ministries of Plantation, Agriculture as well as the Trade for marketing the products purchased from the farmers directly in public places in the towns and cities
Prioritising in suspension of crops those are being cultivated by local farmers since the farmers have turned to cultivate supplementary crops that can be cultivated locally as well as to enhance production of other local vegetable as well as to promote crops that can be substituted for the crops that should be imported
Maintaining secure stocks to ensure that prices of rice does not increase until the harvest in the Maha season is released to the market and ensure that sufficient stocks are available in the market at the government imposed certified price
In order to control the escalation of prices of chicken and eggs due to total stoppage of import of especially corn as the raw material for the production of poultry food, permission has been granted to import wheat subject to temporary import licenses as a substitute for corn
Implementation of an appropriate program by the responsible institutions for provision of required lands, seeds, fertiliser and technology to increase the corn cultivation within the country
The Fisheries Corporation shall increase their outlets to enable the consumers to purchase fish for a reasonable price while the 40 new outlets planned to be opened to be opened soon
Immediate measures should be taken to increase the local milk production while implementing a program to educate the milk farmers and provide technical knowhow
Implementation of coconut marketing programs by the Ministry of Plantation in the populated towns so that the consumers would be able to purchase coconut at fair and reasonable prices, since there is a trend to a hike of coconut prices in the market is apparent
(FT)