State retailer Lanka Sathosa will reduce the prices of nine essential consumer items from Thursday (18), following instructions from the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.
Wheat flour carries the largest single cut, falling by Rs. 10 per kilogram from Rs. 169 to Rs. 159. Six rice varieties have also been cut: Ponni Samba by Rs. 6 per kilogram, and Red Nadu, Samba Red Kekulu, Local White Nadu and White Kekulu Samba each by Rs. 5, with White Kekulu rice cut by Rs. 3. Chickpeas have been reduced by Rs. 5 per kilogram, while white sugar drops by Rs. 2.
The revisions follow an earlier round of cuts on 18 essential items announced on June 9, which covered different rice grades, dhal, infant milk powder and a wider basket of staples. Thursday’s adjustments target items that were not part of the first round and use Lanka Sathosa’s price levers to reset benchmarks for the wider retail market ahead of the Poson festival weekend.
The Ministry of Trade has used Lanka Sathosa’s nationwide network periodically through the year to push pass-through of falling import costs to consumers, with wheat flour and selected rice grades the most-watched categories given their weight in household food budgets.
