Rice flour to be popularised

By L.S Ananda Wedaarachchi

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena

Housing & Construction Minister Wimal Weerawamsa

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena directed his officials last week not to allow the sale of wheat flour-based food items, such as bread, buns and cakes in hospital canteens. His decision was based on the need to motivate the people to depend on rice and discourage the consumption of wheat flour production.

Food scientists and doctors are of the opinion that the consumption of wheat flour products has been identified as a cause for many non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, renal failure and obesity.

Wheat flour and supplementary food items were needed when Sri Lanka was not self sufficient in rice. Billions of rupees were spent to import items even on short term and long term credit lines, some foreign sources and monetary institutions encouraged Sri Lanka to import their products such as wheat, to the detriment of domestic food production.

Housing and Construction Minister and Jathika Nidahas Peramuna leader Wimal Weerawamsa and JNP political committee member Piyasiri Wijenayeka recently said that consumption of wheat flour was another form of terrorism which deals a serious blow to the Sri Lankan economy.

They urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Health and Prison Reforms Ministers to introduce rice flour based food to hospital canteens and prisons.

Sri Lanka spent Rs. 29,769 million to import wheat flour last year. Although the campaign to discourage wheat flour consumption launched as early as 1996 has failed to produce the desired results.

According to the Central Bank sources the annual import of wheat flour had sharply increased during the 2000 to 2009 decade.

Year	 MT	Rs/Million
2000	 922	 9625
2002	 993	12427
2004	 993	18536
2006	1200	20679
2007	 952	25891
2008	 919	40563
2009	1026	29769

Countries such as Japan, Germany, Korea, China and Thaiwan had correctly identified their domestic problems before they achieved economic independence.

Bread produced by wheat flour

Wheat flour based food bread buns

After eradicating the three decade long terrorism under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka too has identified its path to development while other major economies including that of USA were beset with economic recession during the last five years. Sri Lanka economy while recorded 7.5 increase in GDP did not experience severe shortages as other regional countries did Sri Lanka was insulated against such crisis due to the timely implementation of the "Api Wavamu Rata Nagamu" agricultural development program.

According to the latest statistics released by the Agriculture Ministry, year 2010 has recorded a bumper paddy harvest exceeding the local requirement. The country's 2010 rice production amounted to MT. 2772 as against the domestic requirement of MT. 2330 a spokesman of the Agriculture Ministry said.

Paddy Production - Yala Maha both seasons
Year	Cultivated land HA  MT./Thousands
2000		 878		2860
2002		 852		2859
2004		 779		2628
2006	 	 910		3342
2007	 	 816		3131
2008		1053		3878
2009	 	 978		3652
(Central Bank Annual Report)

Meanwhile the government has launched a program to popularise rice flour based food products among the people. Food Promotion Board FPB Chairperson Kumudini Gunasekera said that ten flour processing mills to ensure regular supply of rice flour to the market will be set up soon in the agricultural districts. The first rice flour processing centre was set up at Kalankuttiya, Anuradhapura.

The next rice flour mills will be set up at Ambalantota and Kilinochchi, she said that a project has been launched to educate the people on how rice flour can be used to make stringhoppers, cakes, thosai, rotti and pittu. Any organisation interested in the multiuse of rice flour could seek our assistance, she said.

She said that a flour rice sales centre was also opened at No. 21, Galle Road, Dehiwala. She said that the consumption of wheat flour among the estate plantation community is high. Due to its affordable price and the convenience and with which rotti, their favourite could be made, wheat flour has become the principal source of food for the plantation workers, she said.

Dr. Rohitha Prashanta, Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya (email-rop-bd @yahoo.com) said that bread could be made with seventy percent of rice flour and thirty percent of wheat flour as has been confirmed by recent research, he said.

Dr. Prashanta said the production of rice flour based bread and other food items largely depends on the regular supply of rice flour to the domestic market. Sri Lankans who were traditionally accustomed to consume three rice meals daily switched on to bread and rotti made out of wheat flour due to cross-culture influence. Sri Lanka consumes more than 864,000 MTs of wheat flour worth over Rs. 14,200 million. Multi National Companies spend millions of rupees to propagate the virtues of wheat flour consumption, Dr. Prashanta said.

In Sri Lanka's per capita daily rice consumption is 270g and wheat flour consumption 110g. Of the total wheat flour consumption 50 percent used for bread and other bakery products. Bakery industry provides direct and indirect employment to a large number of people, he said. The price hike of wheat flour and bread is a common senario in the past. The price of a bread was increased four times by Rs. 10 within a period of 10 months. There is no price control for bread at present and a bread is available from Rs. 60 to Rs. 175 in the market.

The Chairman of Bakery Owners Association N. K. Jayawardena said more than 100,000 are engaged in the bakery industry. When the wheat flour prices are increased by the Prima Company, it has its impact on the price of bread. The Rs. 1.50 subsidy granted to bakery owners also has been withdrawn, he said.

Finagle Lanka Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director Mahinda Ranasingha said that they would support the government's people friendly decisions. The patients and the schoolchildren will switch on to rice based food items or Kadala or Munata, will it be a success, he said.

Ranasingha who introduced the Kurakkan based bread to his consumers said they conducted research and experiment for the feasibility of a rice flour based bread.

The consumer preference is the prime factor, he said. The government should encourage the local producers granting tax and duty concessions to import machinery and raw material. Gluton which used making bread with kurakkan or rice flour should be made a duty free item as requested by the Bakery owners, he said.