The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has caught a trader at the Bokundara Economic Centre in Piliyandala selling Keeri Samba rice at Rs. 360 per kilogramme — Rs. 100 above the Rs. 260 maximum retail price set by gazette.
CAA officers conducted the raid on Friday as part of what the authority called an intensified islandwide enforcement push against traders selling rice above the controlled price. The agency said legal action will be taken against the Bokundara trader.
Consumers were urged to verify the gazetted maximum retail price when buying rice and to report unfair sales practices or hoarding through the CAA hotline 1977 during office hours.
The Bokundara raid extends a sustained enforcement wave that has already produced an Rs. 100,000 fine in Akkaraipattu and court fines totalling more than Rs. 2 million across six districts — alongside festive-season raids in Dambulla and Kegalle. The authority’s special raid programme was extended through April 30 after nearly 2,000 inspections since March 20.
Keeri Samba — Sri Lanka’s most-consumed premium rice variety — has been the most frequent target of overpricing complaints in 2026.
Source: Newswire.
