Those are not essentials: Bandula A countrywide shortage of essentials such as dhal, onions, and tinned-fish had been reported from several areas around the country last week. The shortage was reported due to the 21-day lockdown in India which had impacted the importation of essentials such as dhal, red onions, potatoes, chillies, and some other spices. India is one of the main suppliers of these items to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, it was also reported that Thailand had informed the Colombo Wholesalers’ Association that tinned-fish exports from Thailand to Colombo cannot continue. However, when asked, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana stated that these items couldn’t be categorised as essentials at a time of world crisis, as all imports and exports had been affected by the global disaster, which is the worst ever since World War II. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had advised Secretary to the Prime Minister Gamini Senarath to take the necessary steps to ensure that food and other essential commodities were released to the market without any shortage. Accordingly, Sathosa is currently taking action to distribute essential food items to the market.