Keeri Samba will not be imported this year – Minister

The Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that there is no need to import rice this year similar to last year where no rice stocks were imported to the country.

The Minister said this replying to a question regarding recent news that Keeri Samba rice will be imported. The Minister further explained that Keeri Samba is a type of rice called BG 360 and it is produced only in Sri Lanka.

The Minister explained that this year, 780,000 hectares of paddy have been cultivated and out of this, 80,000 hectares are cultivated with Keeri Samba. “It is estimated that a yield of 380,000 metric tonnes of Keeri Samba will be obtained. However, Keeri Samba is not a suitable type of rice for consumption. Especially the consumption of Keeri Samba rice causes obesity and it is high in sugar content as well”.

He further said that in 2023, the country was self-sufficient in rice and this year too the local farmers can produce the amount of rice required for the country’s consumption. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has sent a letter to President Ranil Wickremesinghe protesting the decision taken to import rice when the Food Committee met recently. The Minister has also informed the Quarantine Division of Sri Lanka Customs and the Health Ministry that if rice is imported, it should be mandatory to check the heavy metal concentration in the imported stocks. The Minister has pointed out that previously, six samples of imported rice were tested and five of them were reported to contain heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury, which are harmful to the human body and has stressed if rice is imported in the future, it should not be released without proper testing.

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