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China rejects Sri Lanka’s rice donation request 

24 Jan 2022

By Buddhika Samaraweera Despite a statement by Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana last week that Sri Lanka will be receiving one million metric tonnes of rice from China as a donation, The Morning reliably learnt that the Chinese Government has rejected the request for such a donation. Diplomatic sources told The Morning yesterday (23) that China had not agreed to the request by Sri Lanka and that there will be no donation made. However, when contacted by The Morning yesterday (23), the Trade Ministry's Media Secretary Mahesh Wickrama said that the said stock of rice is to be received by Sri Lanka following a request made by Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana and that there has been no change to that position. “They agreed to provide the stock of rice. Currently discussions are underway through the Finance Ministry’s Foreign Affairs Unit regarding the type of rice,” he said. Based on 2016 per capita consumption of 104.5 kg per annum, the annual national rice demand in Sri Lanka is 2.1 million MT and if this donation had been received it would have been the equivalent of a half year’s national demand, which our sources said was unlikely to be agreed to anyway, not to mention the issues around storage and logistics. Dr. Pathirana announced at the weekly Cabinet decisions press briefing last Tuesday (18) that the consignment is expected to arrive on the island in March and that the donation is being made to mark the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact signed between the two countries in 1952. Following Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin had reiterated that his country is ready to “carry forward the spirit of the Rubber-Rice Pact characterised by independence, self-reliance, unity and mutual support”.


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