The government has decided to reduce the prices of 18 essential goods sold through Lanka Sathosa, the state-owned retail chain, the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development said.

In a statement, the Ministry said the decision was taken to provide relief to the public amid rising global prices of goods and services, driven by the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the resulting global economic uncertainty.

Accordingly, from tomorrow (10), prices of 18 essential items sold through Lanka Sathosa will be reduced to levels lower than wholesale prices in Pettah, the statement said.

The list of price-reduced items includes big onions, white sugar, lentils, cowpea, chickpeas, green gram, cashew nuts, wheat flour, red raw rice, red nadu rice, samba rice, white nadu rice, and ponni samba rice, among others.

Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said the government was making maximum use of state mechanisms to provide relief to the public as a “people-friendly administration,” in light of rising import costs.

He added that Lanka Sathosa Chairman Ravindra Fernando, the Board of Directors, and senior management had paid special attention to the situation in taking this decision, aimed at easing pressure on consumers.