President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed officials to take immediate steps to release containers containing essential items held up at Customs.The President made this decision yesterday with the aim of preventing any shortages in the market, the President’s Media Division said.The President also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities including food.

A special discussion was held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (07) with regard to the release of essential goods in the custody of the Customs.

President Rajapaksa stressed the importance of providing the people with the opportunity to purchase essential items including food without any shortage during the upcoming festive season and instructed the officials to make plans for this from now on.

President Rajapaksa stressed the need to allow the importation of selected essential commodities and not to allow over-importing and stockpiling of goods with malicious intent.The President instructed to prepare a new mechanism to expedite the release of essential commodities including food to the market and directed the new committee to regulate and oversee the matter.