Dr. Ravi Liyanage, Chairman of Raigam and a Director of the Puttalam Salt Company, has flatly denied accusations that he or his company created a salt monopoly that led to the current shortage in the local market. Responding to opposition claims made in Parliament by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Mujibur Rahman, Liyanage insisted there is no so-called “salt mafia” behind the supply issues, just an extended stretch of bad weather.
“The shortage isn’t the result of a business conspiracy,” Liyanage stated at a specially convened media briefing. “It’s because we’ve had unusually heavy rains in the salt-producing regions for three consecutive years.”
According to Liyanage, both Raigam and the Puttalam Salt Company are continuing to release what limited salt reserves they do have to the market. He emphasized that neither he nor the company has stockpiled salt to manipulate prices or control the market, as alleged in Parliament.
The accusation, which sparked significant political attention, claimed that an entity linked to Raigam had effectively cornered the market by buying up salt supplies from the Puttalam Salt Company. But Liyanage dismissed this narrative as misinformation, arguing that natural factors namely, excessive rainfall have disrupted production cycles and evaporative processes critical for salt harvesting.
“The salt fields have not been able to dry properly due to constant rain,” he explained. “This is an environmental setback, not a corporate strategy.”
Liyanage’s comments aim to defuse growing public frustration over rising prices and limited availability of basic household essentials like salt. As the debate intensifies over accountability in times of scarcity, the business leader maintained that blaming the private sector especially on unfounded grounds only distracts from the real issues.
He concluded his remarks by reiterating that all efforts are being made to stabilize supply chains and meet public demand, despite the environmental constraints that have plagued the industry for the past three years.
