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Rice for beer: Free hand for breweries
View(s):The Government will not impose any restrictions on breweries buying paddy for beer production, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene said yesterday.
Beer companies were encouraged to use rice in their beers when we had an excess paddy production two years ago, he said. The minister claimed the breweries were short of paddy supplies this year.
“It is now not economical for them to buy rice at such high prices. And they have stopped buying and switched back to other ingredients,” he said.
However, investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that breweries were continuing to buy paddy at high prices as the cost of malt – Rs. 90 a kilogram — is higher than the paddy which is obtained at Rs. 40- 50. Severe competition between breweries and large scale mill owners has increased paddy prices this harvesting season pushing small and medium scale mill owners out of business.