Minister of Trade Wasantha Samarasinghe has clarified that the Rs. 280 per kilogram import tax applies only to Jasmine rice and sticky rice, dismissing reports suggesting that the revised tax also covers other rice varieties, including Nadu rice.
Addressing Parliament yesterday (04), the Minister said the two varieties had been removed from the special trade concession list and were now subject to the standard import tax of Rs. 280 per kilogram.
He emphasised that Nadu rice was not included in the revised tax arrangement, urging the public and media to refer to the relevant Harmonised System (HS) codes to identify the affected rice varieties.
Minister Samarasinghe explained that in 2023, tourist businesses had been permitted to import Jasmine and sticky rice with approval from the Department of Import and Export Control.
However, he said the approval had been granted without a proper regulatory mechanism to monitor imports.
Following discussions, the Food Security Committee decided to revise the tax on the two rice varieties from Rs. 65 to Rs. 280 per kilogram.
The Minister said an expert committee had also been appointed to assess rice import volumes, domestic requirements and the potential impact of importing these varieties on the local rice market.
He added that the Ministry of Finance had issued a gazette notification specifying the two rice varieties and their corresponding HS codes.
Minister Samarasinghe accused certain media outlets of publishing misleading reports without clearly identifying the rice varieties affected by the tax revision.
Rejecting claims that the decision would create a rice shortage, he maintained that the measures were intended to address existing issues in the rice market and improve the regulation of rice imports. (Newswire)