Two traders in Wellawaya have been fined a total of Rs. 300,000 by the Wellawaya Magistrate’s Court for selling rice above the stipulated maximum retail prices, the Consumer Affairs Authority said.
In the first case, a trader sold a five-kilogram pack of locally produced Keeri Samba at Rs. 350 a kilogram against a controlled price of Rs. 260. The trader pleaded guilty and was fined Rs. 150,000.
In a separate case, another Wellawaya trader sold imported Ponni Samba GR 11 at Rs. 260 a kilogram, above the stipulated maximum of Rs. 240. That trader also pleaded guilty and was fined Rs. 150,000.
Enforcement of the rice ceiling
The prosecutions continue an enforcement drive against retailers breaching the controlled prices for rice. A Polonnaruwa supplier was fined Rs. 1 million this month for selling Red Nadu above the MRP, and cases have previously been brought against traders in Akkaraipattu and Wellawatte over Keeri Samba.
Keeri Samba is the premium variety most often found priced above the ceiling, and the Rs. 90 a kilogram gap in the Wellawaya case is among the wider margins reported in recent prosecutions.
Consumers can report traders selling above controlled prices to the Consumer Affairs Authority on 1977.
Sources: Ada Derana.
