A Gazette Extraordinary was issued by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) on Tuesday, imposing conditions on importing, manufacturing, storing, marketing, selling and stocking 36 categories of goods, to make sure those goods are supplied to the market without a shortage.
CAA Chairman Shantha Niriella told the Daily News that the Gazette aims to prevent importers and manufacturers from hoarding goods to manipulate prices.
The list of the goods includes animal feed, bottled drinking water, canned fish, cement, dhal, diapers and sanitary napkins, edible Coconut oil, edible salt, eggs, fertilizers (Organic or Chemical), milk powder, fresh milk or infant milk powder, rice, steel and iron bars, and wheat flour. Any person who makes, assembles or joins, or sells the above goods are required to supply them within a reasonable period and without delay.
The manufacturers of these goods are required to maintain the maximum manufacturing capacity unless there is no sufficient raw material, labour or machinery in possession or control of the manufacturer, or where any other factor does not affect the manufacturing process.
“If any manufacturer cannot manufacture to the maximum capacity, we will order them to adopt alternative methods to issue goods to the market. We will issue a set of guidelines to them and they abide by the law to follow them,” the Chairman said.
The Gazette states that the manufacturers of above goods are not allowed to store raw material in excess of the average quantity required for a certain period without the approval of the CAA. The CAA can issue instructions to any manufacturer who keeps an excess quantity of raw material in possession.
Those who import, market, store, sell or stock agrochemicals, auto spare parts, big onions and red onions, chickpeas, chicken, coriander, dried chilli, dried fish, dried sprats, garlic, green gram, LP gas, maize, medical devices and accessories, paddy, potato, sand, bricks and metal used in the construction industry, steel and iron bars, sugar (brown and white), tyre and tubes, and turmeric are also required to supply them within a reasonable period and without delay.
The Chairman said the list of goods could be amended from time to time. He said legal action will be initiated against those not adhering to the given conditions.
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