Kandy Times

'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.

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.