Sri Lanka lifts import curbs to help tackle worsening shortages

Sri Lanka removed restrictions on imports to help ease shortages of everything from food to medicine.
 

The 369 items on the list can now be shipped in without an Import Control License, the Finance Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. It also postponed implementation of open-account payment changes to June 7, and said all such cargoes can be released.
 

Importers must “rationalize” purchases “on the basis of importance and urgency to save the limited foreign exchange for the purpose of importation of essential commodities to ensure their uninterrupted supply,” according to the statement.