Attempts to import red rice from India fails: Minister

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera  

 The attempts to import red rice from India failed as red rice was not available in India, Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said yesterday.    He told Parliament that the government had discussed with the Indian High Commission and Indian suppliers to import red rice to meet the shortage in the local market, but the attempt had failed.   

The Minister said red rice is not available in the mills in the country also and added that attempts are being made to somehow manage the situation.    He said free distribution of red rice by the previous government just before the Presidential election has aggravated the shortage and pointed out that rice is also used for the beer industry, poultry farms, ornamental fish industry and for rice flour as well.