A supermarket in Beruwala has been fined Rs. 1 million by the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court after being found guilty of selling locally produced Keeri Samba rice above the government-mandated maximum retail price (MRP).
According to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), the outlet was selling the rice at Rs. 355 per kilogram, far above the gazetted MRP of Rs. 260 per kilogram. During a raid, CAA officers found 5kg packs priced at Rs. 1,775 — well over the legal limit. The case was brought by the CAA’s Kalutara district investigative officers, and the defendants pleaded guilty to violating the Consumer Affairs Authority Act.
The prosecution is part of a broader crackdown on traders charging above regulated prices for essential food commodities. Consumer officials have intensified inspections at retail outlets island-wide, with particular attention to price-controlled rice varieties.
The CAA urged consumers to check the printed MRP when buying essential goods and to report traders charging above controlled prices, or selling substandard or expired products, to its hotline on 1977.
Rice prices remain a politically sensitive issue in Sri Lanka, where authorities have repeatedly moved against overpricing of staple varieties to protect household budgets.
