The small and medium businesses are getting back on their feet. Most businesses that suspended operations during the gas shortage have resumed operations, Chairman of Litro Gas Lanka Ltd, Muditha Peiris said.
“We strive to ensure uninterrupted gas supply in the future to protect the larger players and the SME sector alike,” he said.
Litro is pleased to be the first among essential services to eliminate long queues by importing 100,000 MT of LPG with World Bank funding. Litro also single handedly catered to the domestic sector with 2.2 mn cylinders over 20 days when its direct competitor suspended operations temporarily, Peiris said.
President of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association, N. K. Jayawardena said, “The past few months have been tumultuous but Litro ensuring uninterrupted LPG supply was commendable. Even at the peak of the crisis Litro provided at least 50% of the total requirement. We are indebted to Litro for coming to our rescue when the other supplier suspended operations. Now that the shortage is under control, we are grateful to Litro for continuous price reductions enabling us to keep prices of bakery products stable.”
President of the Sri Lanka Poultry Forum, Ajith Weerasinghe said, “Litro has been our go-to LPG provider ever since gas became the preferred source of energy for heating/incubation purposes. Even during the global pandemic, poultry was one of the few industries that managed to stay afloat thanks to suppliers such as Litro who went the extra mile. While we had to go looking for other essential inputs during the pandemic, and later the shortage of essential items early this year, Litro made sure their products were delivered to our doorstep in a timely manner.
“As a result, we did not have to suspend our operations which isn’t actually an option given the nature of the business. On behalf of poultry farmers, I thank Litro for understanding our grievances and prioritising and addressing them accordingly,” he said.
Litro is one of the few profit-making SOEs and among the first to embrace digitalisation during the global pandemic. Litro’s Home Delivery App allows convenient placing of orders from anywhere in the world and accepts payments via local currency as well as USD. The doorstep delivery service through Litro’s extensive distributor network is also a much sought-after service. Litro has a dedicated Customer Care Centre to resolve customer complaints and queries.