Sri Lanka's Central Bank held a workshop last Thursday to get the input of bakery owners regarding steps to more widely promote rice-flour based bakery products locally where it was revealed that bread flour imports had more than doubled over the last year, from US$ 2,000 million to US$ 5,000 million, and, as a result, this was a bigger drain on reserves than even milk powder. Additionally emerging, rice flour was a cheaper alternative to bread flour by as much as Rs. 10, without the sugar levels that made bread flour a cause for diabetes and other ailments. It was also stated that many of the perceived shortcomings of rice flour, such as a shorter shelf life, were false.
As such, the Central Bank suggested that bakeries should educate customers on rice flour by labelling products using rice flour, etc. Also proposed, advertising the names of bakeries using rice flour as well as a branding initiative to increase awareness of rice flour and its ayurvedic and other health benefits.
According to the Central Bank, rice production has been rising after the end of the country's 30-year conflict due to a 24% increase in the extent of paddy lands and there was currently more than enough to facilitate its use in baked goods, etc. Further, the Central Bank also highlighted an prediction by the country's Department of Agriculture that, once paddy lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces were fully cultivated, paddy production would increase substantially. |
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