The government says it has secured supplies of essential goods through the coming festive season, while importers warn that their own planning horizon for perishables runs only as far as January.

Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said steps had already been taken to prevent shortages in the local market, Daily Mirror reported. Talks are under way with the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment, Sathosa, cooperative societies, Pettah importer associations and local manufacturers.

The minister acknowledged that minor price movements were likely during the season but said such fluctuations were not unique to Sri Lanka.

Prices already moving

Samarasinghe said bread and other bakery products had risen, milk powder prices had gone up, and imported goods had increased slightly, NewsFirst reported. He said some countries were restricting exports.

The government is buying produce from farmers and releasing it into the market to hold a balance, he said. A Food Security Committee has been convened in Parliament to coordinate supply through Sathosa and other outlets.

Importers: covered to January, then a reassessment

A spokesman for the Essential Commodities Importers’ and Traders’ Association separately told the Daily Mirror that plans were being drawn up to avoid shortages caused by El Niño’s effect on source markets.

Sri Lanka imports dhal, onions, potatoes and sugar. “We import a bulk of dhal from Australia. Besides, 20 per cent of cargo comes from Canada. We import whole lentils and split them in our plants in the country,” the spokesman said. Brazil is now the main sugar supplier following an Indian export ban.

Perishables are harder to plan. Onions come mainly from India and potatoes from Pakistan, both delivered weekly. “We cannot plan for such imports in advance. Currently there is no issue till January as plans are in place. Yet we have to wait till the end of November to make an assessment in consultation with the Trade Ministry,” he said.

He added that freight costs had risen because of the volatile situation in West Asia, pushing up prices of items such as coriander.