Mixing rice flour will save forex

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Mixing a certain percentage of rice flour in a manner that will not affect the quality of wheat flour based products will help the country to save foreign exchange and promote the use of rice flour, said former Director, Rice Research and Development Institute, Department of Agriculture Dr. Sumith Abeysiriwardene.

He said mixing around 10 percent of rice flour with wheat flour in a manner that will not affect the quality of wheat flour based products will be a huge saving on the country's annual import expenditure and also help to promote the consumption of more rice flour based products.

"The nutritional value of wheat flour based products will increase while retaining its quality and there will be a gradual increase in the production of rice flour in the country.

The former Director said by adding 10 percent of rice flour the demand for rice flour in the country will increase and farmers will be able to fetch a better price for their products.

"There needs to be a proper mechanism to promote and regulate the process of mixing rice flour so that it will not affect the quality of products and the dietary pattern of people", he said.

With the demand for rice flour the price of paddy will be attractive and farmers will be encouraged to increase their yield using better techniques.

Dr. Abeysiriwardene said to increase the production of rice flour, the cultivated land area and productivity will have to be increased.

There is a potential to increase the cultivated land area and the bushels per acre. "A consistent policy to support rice farmers to ensure a stable market and a better storage and distribution system will help to achieve better results in the agricultural sector.

Though the annual production is high and the country is self-sufficient in rice, the poor storage facilities and marketing system have an adverse impact on the distribution which results in a shortage before harvesting.

The poor distribution mechanism is the reason why farmers do not get a good price for their products during the harvesting time. With the surplus during the harvesting period there is a temporary reduction in prices.

The lack of water in certain areas in the country which is a major drawback needs to be overcome by introducing varieties that yield within a shorter period.

The variety that yields within 80-days is ideal for areas that lack sufficient water. Improving the technology is important to increase production and develop the agricultural sector, he said.