The ongoing red rice shortage has particularly impacted the Hindu community, which is struggling to obtain the essential ingredient needed for upcoming Thai Pongal celebrations.

As the festival approaches, many Hindus are finding it increasingly difficult to secure the red rice required for their traditional rituals and offerings.

Deputy Minister of Food Security R.M. Jayawardana attributed the shortage to previous rice distribution policies that were politically motivated. He highlighted that distributing red rice bags to individuals who already had sufficient supplies had only worsened the situation.

Jayawardana stressed the importance of better planning and the implementation of sustainable policies to support local farmers and stabilise market dynamics, with the goal of preventing such shortages in the future.

Speaking during a visit to a storage complex in Pannegamuwa, Lunugamvehera, the Deputy Minister assured that the Government was committed to resolving the red rice shortage starting this year.

“Historically, Sri Lanka has not faced a red rice shortage. However, in recent years, farmers shifted away from red rice cultivation due to low prices and limited market opportunities, opting for white rice and high-demand varieties like keeri samba,” he explained.

He further stated that when the problem had been identified, the Government had attempted to purchase red rice along with the private sector but could not locate red rice for purchase from India.

However, he also expressed optimism regarding a resolution to the problem: “By the end of January, paddy will be cut in Ampara. The red kekulu shortage will be resolved by then.”

All-Island Small- and Medium-Scale Rice Mill Owners’ Association President B.K. Ranjith stressed that storage imbalances and poor distribution planning were key factors behind the shortage.

“Small-scale traders are struggling as most storage facilities are controlled by large-scale mill owners who maintain stocks for long-term distribution. The Government’s welfare programmes increased red rice consumption but depleted available stocks, leaving only large-scale traders with reserves,” he noted.

Commenting on the protests by traders opposing the trade practices of mill owners, Ranjith claimed that the problem was not of the large-scale traders.

“Large-scale entrepreneurs of rice usually have a stock of rice stored for future distribution over 6-10 months. But small-scale entrepreneurs do not have such storage capacity and therefore there is no more available stock,” he explained.

Ranjith also dismissed allegations of stock hoarding, stating: “These are not hidden stocks; they are reserves stored for future distribution. Accusations of hoarding, like those made during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government, fail to address the real issue. This is an open economy, and long-term planning, not knee-jerk reactions, is needed to stabilise the market.”

“Rice shortages occur predictably every year and it’s time to adopt a proactive approach rather than resorting to short-term fixes,” Ranjith added.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has announced that a decision regarding the electricity tariff reduction for 2025 will be made before Friday (17).

The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) revealed that a 20% excise tax increase on alcohol last year led to a staggering reduction of 8.3 million litres in alcohol consumption while boosting government revenue by Rs. 11.6 billion.

The Vehicle Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka has warned that import taxes on vehicles, currently about 300%, could rise further, with some luxury vehicles potentially seeing tax rates as high as 600%.

Singapore and Japan break away from the group of six countries that shared top spot last year to secure gold and silver, respectively, on the 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks all the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access visa-free, and is based on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Senior Professor of Forensic Medicine at Karapitiya Hospital U.C.P Perera said it was a matter of serious concern that the fatalities in road accidents have been increasing at a large proportion every year and that 118,240 road accidents had occurred in Sri Lanka for the last five years up to December 2024 claiming 12,140 human lives.

In a bid to address the salt shortage, chairman of National Salt Limited Gayan Wellala said plans are underway to fully activate the saltern including one in Elephant Pass in the north by March, this year to increase production of salt in the country

The deadline for importing rice ended at midnight yesterday, with a total of 167,000 MT of rice imported to Sri Lanka since the government allowed the imports. The Sri Lanka Customs reported that this includes 66,000 MT of Red Raw Rice and 101,000 MT of Parboiled Rice.

The traders in several areas of the upcountry yesterday demonstrated demanding the supply of adequate stocks of Nadu and Red rice varieties in view of the Thai Pongal festive season. A number of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim traders from Agarapathana, Manrasi and Dayagama in the Nuwara-Eliya District participated.

While issuing a special gazette notification, the government announced an excise duty percentage on all vehicles imported starting in February, following the resumption of vehicle imports after a five-year suspension.

Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, has been arrested. Police said that he was arrested in connection with an incident involving the assault of a neighbor. He was arrested by the Mirihana Police and is scheduled to be produced in court.