USD 5 Mn issued to clear essential commodities stranded at port

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has released USD 5 million to clear the containers of essential commodities stranded at the Colombo Port.

The Ministry of Trade said a total of USD 14 million is required to release such stranded containers.

The remaining amount of funds is expected to be issued by the Central Bank by next Monday, the ministry said further.

The Central Bank recently submitted a report to the Central Bank containing details of the stranded items of importers of essential items.

It is reported that nearly a thousand containers carrying essential food items including rice, sugar, dhal and potatoes are still held at the Colombo Port due to the shortage of US dollars in the country.