Western Province Governor pressurizing PHIs over raid of grain storage?
Posted on July 1st, 2019
The country is been swindled by two importers of grains, especially RED LENTILS and YELLOW LENTILS over a period of many years.
By Noor Nizam – Peace and Political Activist, Political Communication Researcher, SLFP/SLPP Stalwart, July 1st, 2019.
The above news which appeared in http://www.adaderena.lk should be noted with utmost importance by those concerned and political authorities who are hoping to establish a news government in 2020.
The country is been swindled by two importers of grains, especially RED LENTILS and YELLOW LENTILS over a period of many years.
They operate very large warehouses and also operate large LENTIL SPLITTING PLANTS and packaging production lines in Sri Lanka with the co-operation of Canadian Pulse farmers and exporters. The capacity of one of these importers is 340 MT per day.
Sri Lanka’s consumption of red lentils is around 150,000 Metric tons. We import around 18,000 metric tons of Chick Peas 25,000 MT of Yellow Split Peas, 16,000 MT of Mung Beans per year. Red lentils are also a major item among our principal food commodity imports. In 2016 we imported more than 154,000 metric tons of red lentils which was around 7% of the total tonnage of our principal food commodity imports of that year. In 2018 Sri Lanka’s annual imports of RED LENTILS was estimated at approximately $114 million.
Politicians and government officials who have been involved in the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce and trade have supported these two major Pulse importers to swindle millions of dollars at the cost of the poor tax payers of our “MAATHRUBOOMIYA”, with the Canadians adiding and abetting.
The new President or government hoping to be elected should set-in-motion a high powdered probe on this subject immediately they come into power. Consumers in Sri Lanka who can get Red Lentils at a much much lower price which are sold the produce at high prices by this mafia, which has to stop. The exposure made by The Chairman of the Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Association Upul Rohana that over 700,000 kg of grain including dhal not suitable for human consumption had been discovered at one of the storage warehouses reveals how this MAFIA is making money selling dhal not suitable for human consumption. These two companies are the suppliers to the CWE and SATHOSA. They also supply wholesale produce distributers in Pettah and the the local super market chains.