A total of 3,500 metric tons of ‘Ponni Samba’ rice have been imported into the country, Sri Lanka Customs has stated.

The decision to import ‘Ponni Samba’ rice has been taken by the government as a solution to the shortage of ‘Keeri Samba’ rice in the local market, at present.

Accordingly, the first consignment of the imported rice arrived in Sri Lanka on October 23.

Sri Lanka Customs confirmed that further consignments of ‘Ponni Samba’ rice were brought into the country on Friday and Saturday.

Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the importation of GR-11 grade ‘Ponni Samba’ rice from October 15 as a measure to address the shortage of ‘Keeri Samba’ rice in the local market.

Following the approval, the government decided to exempt importers from the requirement to obtain import control licenses.

Based on the recommendations of the Food Policy and Security Committee, each importer was permitted to import up to a maximum of 520 metric tons of rice.

Published Date: October 27, 2025