Deveni Batha to meet nutrition needs:

Raigam goes for Rs 300m noodle product

By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Raigam has introduced Deveni Batha, a 100 percent rice product to fill the much-needed gap in nutrition. Deveni Batha, will cater to the needs of Sri Lankans in taste and nutrition. Formulated out of 100 percent rice flour, it is the much-anticipated solution to dependency on wheat.

Deveni Batha is the first successful instant noodle-type rice product. Although there are several types of rice noodles in the market which take time to prepare, Raigam has developed a product which is rice-based and easy to prepare.

This will fit into the fast preparation food that are on the shelf today.Developed at a cost of Rs. 300 m, this process and technology is unique to Sri Lanka, Kingdom of Raigam Chairman, Dr. Ravi Liyanage told Sunday Observer Business. Deveni Batha, a sequel to three-and-a-half years of research and development is now ready for the market. Targeted towards freeing the country from the dependence on wheat flour, it has been specially formulated for easy preparation which is needed to fit into today’s severe time constraints.

The easy preparation of this will make it possible for families to prepare serve and pack this for lunch and breakfast for schoolchildren and working adults, he said.

Although there is a preference to eat rice in today’s context, preparing it is time consuming. This puts enormous pressure on housewives. As a result schoolchildren suffer the most by not getting proper nutrition. The alternative is to consume wheat- based products such as pastries even for breakfast. ‘Deveni Batha’ is made in three varieties. They are White Kekulu, Rose Kekulu and Red Kekulu to cater to individual palettes.

The current rice production is 4.8 million metric tons and in the next year it is estimated to reach six million metric tons. This will give us an economic reason and the required raw material to replace wheat consumption to a greater degree. The foreign exchange saving on the reduction of wheat imports will have a positive impact on the country’s Balance of Payment, Dr. Liyanage said.