Beginning its crackdown on rice hoarders, the Sri Lankan government is preparing to confiscate hoarded stocks and prosecute the traders who have defied price controls. Several shops have been raided in the past few days.

Sri Lanka's shortage has resulted from rice mill owners purchasing harvests and stockpiling them, anticipating a sharp price increase.

 A shortage in world rice markets has resulted in Asian countries suspending rice exports recently aggravating the problem in Sri Lanka, which imports a part of its need.