Move to popularise rice flour

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The Economic Development Ministry will launch a series of workshops to educate bakery owners to use rice flour as a substitute for wheat flour. "This program aims at using the expected surplus in the forthcoming paddy harvest," a spokesperson for the Ministry said.

The first round of workshops will be held with the bakery owners of the Western Province. The first program will be held at Battaramulla on August 30 led by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. A workshop will be held in Kelaniya on September 16 for bakery owners in the Gampaha and Kelaniya areas.

Two other workshops will be held in Moratuwa on September 23 and in Kaduwela on September 30.

Bakery owners will not be able to use rice flour 100 percent as there will be technical difficulties in doing so. But at least substituting a part of the total amount of wheat flour by rice flour could make a significant impact," the spokesman said. In 2006 Sri Lanka imported wheat flour worth Rs. 321 million and by 2008 it dropped to Rs. 111 million. But in 2009 the cost rose to Rs. 195 million.

A large percentage of foreign exchange can be saved by further cutting down wheat flour imports to the country.