A consignment of 11,000 MT rice arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday under the concessional Indian Credit Facility of $1 billion. The ceremonial handover to the Sri Lankan government was done by officials of the Indian High Commission in Colombo. The consignment has been made available in view of the Sinhala and Tamil new year to be celebrated on Thursday. It is their most auspicious festival during which the Sinhalas make their traditional milk rice cake called Kiribath.
The Indian High Commission, on Tuesday, said that 16,000 MT rice of the 40,000 MT to be imported by the State Trading Corporation from India, stands delivered. “In addition to today’s consignment, 5,000 MT of rice has been received in the past few days under the Credit Facility,” the statement added.
It may be recalled that the $1 billion Credit Facility Agreement was signed between the Sri Lankan government and the State Bank of India on March 17, 2022. The delivery of rice has been made within less than one month of signing the agreement, the statement said. The supply is part of the multi-pronged support extended from India to Sri Lanka in the last few months, which includes timely supply of fuel, other forms of economic and forex support.
The expeditious supply, before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, is in line with the understandings reached regarding India’s support for Sri Lanka’s energy and food security, and post the visit by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Sri Lanka last month during which India’s continued support to the people of the island nation was reiterated.
