Basmathi rice grown in parts of Sri Lanka
By L.B. Senaratne
'Basmathi Rice ' is now grown in Nikaweratiya,
off Kurunegala, and this surprised most wholesalers and mill owners,
when they were provided this information at a recent seminar in
Kandy organised by the Central Regional Office of the People's
Bank.
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Picture shows Dr. P.A. Kiriwandeniya (centre)
and other officials. |
H. M. I. Pushpakumar, from the Ridibendiella Agrarian
Cooperative Commune, said that they have grown 10,000 acres of Basmathi
rice and they could supply any amount if the wholesalers needed
them. He also said that the certified seeds have been supplied by
the Batalagoda Agricultural Research Centre.
A number of wholesalers immediately sought the
price and also the quantities the commune could supply.
This latest news on in the rice industry also
took the People’s Bank Chairman Dr. P.A. Kiriwandeniya by
surprise and he said the Bank could do everything possible to help
this type of enterprise where foreign exchange could be saved. He
said it was a happy occasion when Sri Lanka was able to export the
first batch of rice to India recently.
Dr Kiriwandeniya told the rice mill owners and
rice wholesalers that they should popularise rice flour and make
a continued effort to introduce rice to the working population of
the up country regions. He said that this was group of people on
plantations who depended more on bread and flour. It is time, he
said, that they be introduced to rice flour and allied products
from rice flour and encourage to then to use rice instead of bread.
The People's Bank had organised rice mill owners
and rice wholesalers for a dialogue between the two groups to ensure
there is a standard price during most times of the year and also
in order to find out how best they could develop the use of rice
apart from being the stable diet in the country.
Dr Kiriwandeniya said that people have to stand
on their own feet, as seen in Japan, where they refused to take
flour given by the United States and opted for rice. He said this
was a bold step to have been taken by the Japanese people.
He said that the mill owner and the wholesaler
should combine together to form an alliance to reach a constant
price for the benefit of the consumer and the Bank would help them
to overcome these problems and reach these goals.
In course of the dialogue there were a number of problems including
access to finance.
The People’s Bank Chairman said that the
6 or 7 percent that is given as a loan to the rice mill owners is
not the money of the People's Bank but money given by the government
in order to help keep the price down for the benefit of the consumer.
Sixty seven mill owners and rice wholesalers attended
the seminar where a number of problems and suggestions were exchanged.
Among those present were the Bank’s Deputy
General Manager P.V. Pathirana, Central Regional Manager Sarath
Wijesinghe, Anuradhapura Regional Manger R.M.T.B.Tennakoon, Matale
Regional Manager-S.M.Premaratne and Kurunegala and Matale Deputy
General Manager Amara Wijesinghe.
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