Approximately 500 containers with essential commodities including rice and dhal are stuck in the Port of Colombo, informed the Essential Food Commodities Importers & Traders Association.
The importers have requested the Prime Minister to allow the importation of essential commodities through the Open Account system, pointing out that imposing restrictions for imports has led to serious issues. The importation of food to the Open Account system has been banned since the 6th May 2022. This was discussed in length at a meeting with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on food security held on Monday (May 23).
