‘Runaway cost of living: Govt. rendered itself impotent by doing away with price controls’

Ex-CAA official: “Trade, Consumer Protection ministries reduced to nameboards’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Co-operative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said that the government could not interfere with the Milk Food Importers’ Association decision to increase the prices of imported powdered milk.

The SLFPer pointed out that price control on imported milk food had been done away with in early November. Therefore, the Consumer Protection Ministry couldn’t interfere with their decision, the Gampaha District lawmaker said, adding he was informed of the price increase.

MP Alagiyawanna said so when The Island sought his response to the Milk Food Importers’ Association announcement on Thursday (30) as regards the price increase with effect from Dec 30 midnight. According to their spokesperson Asoka Bandara, the price of a kilo of packeted milk powder would cost Rs 1,345 and 400 grammes pack Rs 540.

State Minister Alagiyawanna said that a kilo of imported milk powder and 400 grammes pack had cost Rs. 1,195 and Rs 480 before.

State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera on behalf of the National Freedom Front (NFF) recently urged the government to re-impose price controls or face the consequences. Lawmaker Samaraweera alleged that duty concessions that had been granted to various importers, including the Milk Food Importers’ Association didn’t benefit the consumers. The Kalutara District MP cited the reduction of duty on imported sugar in Oct 2020 as a case in point.

Having imposed emergency regulations that had been imposed on Aug. 30, 2021 to prevent hoarding and the termination of the Office of Commissioner General of Essential Services, the government on Nov 04, 2021 removed the retail price cap on several essential commodities through a gazette notification. The retail prices of dhal, sugar, sprats, green gram, potatoes, big onions, canned fish, chickpeas, wheat flour, full cream milk powder, dried fish, coconut, chicken and maize were removed.

The new gazette notification has also removed the maximum price limit of Rs. 1,500 for a 400g packet of sausages and Rs. 1,500 for a kg of mackerel. In addition to that the Special Commodity Levy of Rs.65 per kg of imported rice has been reduced to 25 cents for the next six months.

As per the powers vested in terms of the section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance, President Rajapaksa declared emergency regulations formulated as per the section 5 on essential food supply, with effect from midnight August 30, 2021.

Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena questioned the justification of maintaining the Consumer Protection Ministry as well as the CAA at the taxpayers’ expense in the absence of what he called price control mechanism. “Consumers are fleeced. The government brazenly provides tacit support to unscrupulous business enterprises. On one hand, duty concessions are granted. And on the other hand price controls are done away with. The hapless public has no protection at all,” Gunawardena said.

The cabinet minister in charge of trade Bandula Gunawardena and State Minister of Consumer Protection Alagiyawanna should quit because they were jobless, Gunawardena said adding that there had never been a previous instance of any particular government altogether abolishing price controls.

Outspoken ex-official Gunawardena said that the appointment of a senior serving army officer Maj. Gen. M. D. S. P Niwunhella as Commissioner General of Essential Services for a short period was nothing but a joke. Gunawardena pointed out that having targeted some of those who hoarded sugar and rice and promised an uninterrupted supply of essential items at a reasonable price, the government had done away with price controls, abolished the Office of Essential Services and reduced the trade and consumer protection ministries to just name boards.

Responding to another query, Gunawardena pointed out that the recent media statements that had been attributed to State Minister Samaraweera revealed that the government had done away with price controls without consultations with constituents of the ruling coalition. “In fact, the current dispensation does not seem to believe in proper consultations as regards any matter. There cannot be a better example than the Yugadanavi Power plant share sale agreement,” Gunawardena said.

Asked what the government would do in case the Milk Food Importers’ Association exploited the consumers, State Minister Alagiyawanna said that the government could always resort to price controls. Asked to explain, the lawmaker said that in the case of milk food prices, before the association decided on Rs 150 per kilo increase, it was sold at Rs 1,195. “We are in a position to ascertain how the world market prices as well as shipping charges are impacting on imports,” MP Alagiyawanna said.