brand logo

Sathosa ‘Sahana Malla’ leads to shortage of essentials

12 Apr 2022

  • Trade Secretary cites high demand for pack
BY Dinitha Rathnayake  The high demand for the “Sathosa Sahana Malla” (Relief Pack) programme, where consumers could purchase essential food items from Sathosa outlets for the reduced price of Rs. 1,950, has caused shortages of essential items. Speaking to The Morning, Trade Ministry Secretary Bhadranie Jayawardhana said that the unexpected and unusual demand for the same is causing shortages of essential items in Sathosa outlets. “We didn't expect such a response from the public. We have essential food items in our stores in Jaffna, Ratmalana, and Boossa, but we need to distribute them according to the demand, which is a bit difficult.” She said that the Sathosa outlets provide rice and dhal for a reasonable price compared to the current market prices. “The cost of 1 kg of nadu rice and kekulu rice is around Rs. 200 in the market, but we provide it for a price of Rs. 110. A kilogramme of samba rice in the market is around Rs. 250, but we provide it for Rs. 130. A kilogramme of dhal is around Rs. 400 in Sathosa outlets, whereas outside it is around Rs. 450-500.” She however said that it is impossible to control the prices of certain products such as sugar. The Sathosa “Sahana Malla” programme is being implemented on a concept introduced by the former Trade Minister to provide consumers with the opportunity to obtain high quality products at the lowest possible prices, avoiding the hassle of purchasing essential items in the face of the then rapidly spreading Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Last year, the Rs. 1,000 “Sahana Malla” programme offered consumers 1 kg of samba rice, 1 kg of nadu rice, 1 kg of flour, 1 kg of Australian red dhal, 200 g of Thai sprats, 1 kg of white sugar, 50 mm of disinfectant hand washing liquid manufactured by the Government’s Industrial Technology Institute, 100 g of tea certified by the Tea Board, 50 g of soya meat, and 100 g of chilli flakes. However, this year, it only offers 10 kg of nadu rice, a 400 g packet of Highland Milk powder, 100 g of tea and 1 kg of sugar.


More News..