CIC Agribusinesses sets up Rs 110m rice mill
CIC Agribusinesses set up its Rs. 110 million modern rice processing
mill in Maho to reduce the import of rice, said Managing Director/CEO,
CIC Agribusinesses Keerthi B. Kotagama.
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CIC Agribusinesses processing mill |
The country imports high bred Basmathi rice from India, Pakistan,
Indonesia, China and Malaysia and spends over Rs 2,000 million annually
to meet the growing demand.
The crop to be cultivated in the Mahaweli B and H Zones in the North
Central Province will be branded as the 'Golden Crop'. Over 3,000
farmers from Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Hingurakgoda will cultivate
the crop which can be yielded within three months.
Kotagama said the primary objective is to reduce the quantity of the
costly imported crop to meet an annual requirement of around 200,000mt.
By cultivating the crop we hope to reduce the quantity imported by
around 10 per cent.
Farmers will benefit from the project as they will be able to
increase their income. They will be provided technical assistance and
will be supported throughout the program", he said.
Satake, a world renowned rice processing company in Japan will
provide technical assistance to process the rice.
The Golden crop will cater to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and
other high-end markets in the country.
The price of rice will be around Rs. 100 per kilogram.
CIC Agribusiness commenced maize cultivation this year providing
employment to over 1,000 farmers in the NCP.
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