Daily News
Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said yesterday he will travel to Myanmar at the weekend to negotiate terms for the import of as much as 100,000 tonnes of rice in the coming year.
“Myanmar has agreed to allow the export of 100,000 metric tonnes over a period of one year,” Minister Gunawardene told reporters here.
Talks are also ongoing with India and Pakistan to boost local rice stocks after recent heavy rains in the east and south of the island destroyed harvests. Sri Lanka and other Asian nations have been hit by record costs for imported oil and food in the past year.
“We are talking with Pakistan to get 50,000 tonnes and also separately to get 100,000 tonnes from India,” the Minister said.
The Indian Government earlier banned rice exports to curb price hikes at home. However, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse had spoken to Indian authorities to lift the export ban for Sri Lanka, the minister said.
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