A gazette notification has been issued extending the permission to import rice until January 10th, 2024. This follows an earlier extension that allowed imports until December 20th. By that date, private importers had brought 67,000 metric tons of rice into the country. Sri Lanka Customs announced that the clearance of this imported rice will begin today.

Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Scale Paddy Mill Owners Association has raised concerns over a rice shortage in the country, attributing it to the hoarding of paddy stocks by large-scale mill owners. The association's chairman, U.K. Semasinghe, made these remarks during a press conference in Anuradhapura yesterday.