75,000 Metric Tons of Rice Cleared by Sri Lanka Customs

Customs Media Spokesperson and Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda stated that the cleared rice includes 32,000 metric tons of Samba rice and 43,000 metric tons of Nadu rice. Efforts are also underway to expedite the release of more rice imports to meet demand.

He stated that the clearance process for these rice stocks has been expedited following the extension of the rice import period.

The government granted permission to private importers to import rice to the country on December 4 and the initial import period expired on December 20, 2024, but the government extended the import period until January 10, 2025. The extension was announced in a Gazette notification on December 24, 2024.