Move to save Rs. 17 billion annually:
CAA popularises rice flour products
Wheat flour is imported from the US and Brazil to produce bread and
other food items. What we import is the remnants which does not have any
nutritional value. We spend around Rs. 17 billion annually to import
800,000 mt of wheat. This is an enormous amount when rice flour could be
produced locally, Chairman Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), Sarath
Wijesinghe said.
The second phase of popularising rice flour was launched at the
Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) on Tuesday. The first
phase was launched at the Cherry Bakery in Malabe.
The CAA will act as a catalyst in popularising rice flour as a
consumer item with nutritional value among Sri Lankans. We need to
popularise bread and other rice products since it is nourishing and home
grown.
By producing rice flour based products we are encouraging our farmers
to grow more paddy and the country can save a huge amount of foreign
exchange. We have been importing wheat flour from European countries
since colonial times at exorbitant prices. In doing so we are helping
the farmers in other countries and not ours, Wijesinghe said.
We must change our bread culture to rice and value our home grown
products.Rice is the stable food for Asians unlike bread. We are self
sufficient in rice and there is no necessity to import wheat when it is
cheaper and much more nutritional. It is easy to grow paddy and even
prepare bread and bakery products from rice flour.
Bakers have to mix yeast and other foreign ingredients which are not
good for health. The side effects of rice flour are minimal. Consumption
of rice flour based products is economical and a big saving on our
import bill, he said.
Wijesinghe said we are trying to convince people on the value of
consuming rice flour based products on health grounds. The concept will
have value with the launch of the 'Rice Day' on the first of every month
commencing this month.
Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Tissa Witharana said
consumption of wheat flour is hazardous to health since it does not
contain vitamins and other vital nutritional such as rice flour. By
consuming rice and rice flour based products we could save money spent
on importing wheat flour, Prof. Witharana said.
ANCL Chairman, Anil Obeysekere said the consumption of rice flour
products has twin benefits. While it has a huge saving on foreign
exchange it helps our farmers to sustain their livelihood. Sri Lanka
spends an enormous amount annually to import wheat flour.
(LF)
|