Marked increase in rice consumption

by L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

The consumption of rice and rice based products has increased due to the decline in prices and the demand for bread and flour related products has decreased during the last month.All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association Treasurer, Mahinda Ranasinghe said that consumption of bread and flour-based products had declined by 10 percent.

The average monthly sales of flour was around 60,000 metric tonnes and it has now dropped by 7500 metric tonnes, he said.

The latest weekly Food Commodities bulletin of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute - (HKARTI) stated that the price of rice declined due to the increase in supplies.

Prices will further drop with the harvest of "Yala" season this year.The highest price decline of Rs.1.17 per kg was reported for Samba, grade 1 while the price of other varieties have decreased by less than Rs.1 per kg.

The highest price of Rs.76 per kg for Samba grade 1 and the lowest price of Rs.44 per kg of imported raw white rice were reported. Compared to the same period last year the current prices of all rice varieties have decreased by 6 percent to 15 percent, Food Bulletin sated.