Importers of essential food items directed to register with CAA

COLOMBO (News 1st): An extraordinary gazette was issued on Friday (Jun. 11), directing all importers, manufacturers, store owners, collectors, distributors, or wholesale traders of Rice, Sugar, Wheat Flour and Maize must register with the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) within 07-days of issuance of the direction. The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) issued the gazette acting under the powers vested in it by Section 10(l)(b)(ii) of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 09 of 2003. According to the gazette, the Consumer Affairs Authority directs that no importer, manufacturer, store owner, collector, distributor, or whole seller who has in his possession, custody, or under his control the following products mentioned herein any warehouses, stores, containers, and any other place unless such warehouse, store, container, and any other place is registered with the Consumer Affairs Authority. 01. Sugar (Brown sugar and White sugar) 02. Milk Powder (Full cream, Low fat, Non-Fat, and Infant) No importer, manufacturer, store owner, collector, distributor, or whole seller shall keep the above products under his possession without being registered with the Consumer Affairs Authority and shall forthwith furnish information on demand to the Consumer Affairs Authority on the stock of product/ products in bulk or in any other form in such warehouse, store, container, and any other place, the extraordinary gazette noted. The Consumer Affairs Authority directs all existing importer, manufacturer, store owner, collector, distributor or whole seller shall furnish information forthwith on the stock of product/products in their possession in bulk or any other form. This direction shall come into effect from the 11th of June 2021. However, the direction will NOT be applicable with regard to the storage of paddy and maize by the producers, the Consumer Affairs Authority emphasized.