"We are planning a further upward revision on both of these because there is a need to keep rice prices at reasonable level and encourage more rice floor based consumption," Jayasundara told reporters.
Wheat prices have to be raised by about 2-3 rupees a kilo, Jayasundara said to keep rice prices at current levels of between 20-25 rupees a kilo.
The government is expecting a successful Yala paddy harvest this year and more stocks of rice to flood the local market.
"We will revise duties based on the availability of rice in the market, if we observe that rice prices are going down further, and then we will increase taxes at the appropriate time," he said.
The government says it is trying to export pilot shipments of about 500-1,000 metric tones of rice to countries like the Maldives
Meanwhile, the treasury approved 2.5 billion rupees to district secretariat