The Sri Lankan government has imposed price control over retail sales of rice with effect from midnight tonight. Trade, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Market Development Minister Bandula Gunawardena, playing a key role in issuing this extra-ordinary gazette notification on rice prices, states that price control on the retail price of rice is essential to safeguard the consumer. "Illegal stocking of rice would have led the rice price to go up to Rs. 150 per 1 kg during coming weeks. The current price increase seen in the local market is artificial and is putting both the farmer as well as the consumer in trouble. We have ensured the farmer by setting a standard price for raw rice purchase, so he is not affected from this new measure. The new price control measure will help the consumer to obtain rice at a lesser price throughout the year,' the Minister said. According to this extra-ordinary gazette notification, 1 kg of samba will be offered with a maximum retail selling price set at Rs. 70. Nadu and red raw rice will be subjected to a cap of Rs. 65 followed by white raw rice to be sold at Rs. 55 per 1 kg. Setting price control on rice, which is already gazetted as an essential item, will help push the illegally stocked rice to the market where the artificial shortage will vanish. The government also expects 100,000 metric tonnes of rice already purchased from Burma to arrive within the next two weeks, which will also help push the prices down. According to the latest statistics from Sri Lanka Customs, during the month of January, rice worth Rs. 1.278 billion was imported from China (350,000 kg), India (22,413,475 kg), Pakistan (328,218 kg), Singapore (2,875,120 kg), Thailand (8,767 kg), and the United Arab Emirates (10,528 kg).