Following a first round of assessment, Sri Lanka has decided to take a closer look at four international rice suppliers to meet its urgent market needs.
โA team of technical officials including officials and food technologists from Sri Lanka are to visit these countries and test rice samplesโ said the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on 6 July in Colombo. Minister Bathiudeen was in discussion with his officials on the progress of rice procurement from abroad.
โWe have decided to test rice samples of Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistanโ said Minister Bathiudeen and added: โA team of technical officials including officials and food technologists from Sri Lanka are to visit these countries and test rice samples after which we will decide on the final supplier from Colombo. We are looking to bring 100,000 MT par-boiled (Nadu) and Samba from the chosen supplier. This will be Government to Government procurement โa speedy way to get rice for our domestic market. I am pleased to say that we are also talking for another 100,000 MT rice, from India, the details of which have to be finalized. If necessary we are open for private sectors support in the supplier countries as well. The Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) under me will be the focal point for this effort on the directions of HE the President Maithripala Sirisena.โ
Previously on 22 June, joined by Secretary of Ministry of Industry and Commerce Chinthana Lokuhetti and Director General of Finance Ministry PMB Atapattu, Minister Bathiudeen met HE Ambassador Designate of Thailand to Sri Lanka Mrs Chulamanee Chartsuwan, HE Ambassador of Indonesia to Sri Lanka ย ย Gusti Ngurah Ardiyasa and Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan Dr. Sarfraz Ahmad Khan Sipra at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to call for government to government rice supplies to Sri Lanka. All the HE Ambassadors present pledged immediate support to Minister Bathiudeen and HE Presidentโs efforts to procure the rice tranche.
Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress