Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said rising transport costs and insurance premiums had contributed to higher potato prices. The Government was providing subsidies to reduce production costs for potato and onion farmers, he said.
Samarasinghe also denied having claimed, while in Opposition, that a mafia was earning large commissions from potato and onion imports.
Journalist Roshan Watawala then asked whether the Minister had pledged that not a single grain of rice would be imported the following year. Samarasinghe acknowledged making the pledge and that rice had subsequently been imported, asking what the problem was. Watawala replied that he had no problem.
