Sri Lanka has started infusing locally milled rice to the markets and has also inked an agreement with Indian private suppliers for immediate rice tranches to Colombo. Domestic rice supplies said on the directions of President Maithripala Sirisena, the Ministry has released 52,000 metric tons of locally milled rice to the markets by last weekend. The rice stocks have been milled from the paddy from the Paddy Marketing Board. The Minister said however, rice stocks will be ordered from India as well. We are also going ahead with the Indian rice orders -they are giving us a very competitive price. Ministry of Industry and Commerce and its Cooperative Wholesale Establishment have, under a Government-to-overseas private sector MoU placed an order for the supply of 70,000 MT of nadu rice to Sri Lanka. This tranche is expected to arrive in mid-September. Another MoU with Indian private sector for 30,000 MT of samba rice is to be inked in Colombo soon. This rice stock is expected to arrive during late September.