News
Importers wait for Trade Minister’s promised dollars to clear essential food items
Though Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena pledged to importers that he would release US dollars needed to clear containers of essential food items held at the Colombo Port, funds had not been released by Friday. As a result, more than 1,500 containers are still stuck at Customs in the Port.
Customs Chief G V Ravipriya told the Sunday Times that they were taking steps to release the perishable items such as potatoes and onions among the consignments. The importers, however, have not submitted the proper documents to the automated systems run by the Customs, he claimed.
Containers of other essential food items such as rice, dhal and chickpeas are still stuck at the Port, and these containers are taking up much of the space needed to accommodate other inbound and trans-shipment containers, the Customs Chief added.
However, a spokesperson for the Essential Food Importers and Traders Association said only a small number of importers of perishable items had been able to clear their containers. About 1,500 containers still remain at the Port, he said.
“Though the Trade Minister promised to arrange the dollars through the local banks, this has not happened up to Friday. We are not ready to pay the demurrage charges because of this delay. Those charges must be borne by the State,” he insisted.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!