Poultry industry calls for tax cuts on maize imports to stabilise prices

• CNL Reporter
• February 17, 2025
• Business News
• Poultry industry calls for tax cuts on maize imports to stabilise prices
• 0 Comments

The poultry industry recently called on the Government to remove or reduce the Rs. 25 per kilo tax on imported maize in the upcoming Budget, warning that failure to do so could lead to a sharp increase in the price of eggs and chicken during the Sinhala-Hindu

All Ceylon Poultry Traders’ Association Chairperson Mathali Jayasekara urged policymakers to reassess taxation policies that impact the cost of animal feed.

“The poultry sector, a key component of Sri Lanka’s food supply chain, has long struggled with high input costs, exacerbated by import restrictions and rising feed prices. Maize, the primary ingredient in animal feed, is particularly scarce.

Sri Lanka requires approximately 600,000 metric tons of maize annually to sustain its poultry and egg production, yet local production only meets about half that demand.

The remaining 300,000 tons must be imported, subject to hefty taxes that drive up costs for farmers. Jayasekara explained that past shortages in domestic maize production had prompted the Government to introduce taxes on imports, significantly increasing the cost of feed