Tomorrow Marks the Final Day for Private Rice Imports

The government initially allowed private importers to bring in rice from December 4, 2024 to December 20, facilitating the import of 67,000 metric tonnes. This deadline was later extended to January 10, 2025, through a Cabinet decision and a Gazette notification issued on December 24.

As of 12 noon on January 8, Sri Lanka Customs confirmed that over 115,000 metric tonnes of rice had been imported and cleared. This includes 45,000 metric tonnes of red raw rice and 70,000 metric tonnes of Nadu rice.

With the deadline approaching, there has been no government announcement on whether rice import permissions will be extended further.