Business Dining

RICE: Economic Boom or Bust? Part XI

Bojoon.com and CIC has teamed up to review one of the most controversial debates of Sri Lanka - is rice as an industry worth the effort.

The discussion so far...

Rice as an industry comes under heavy fire as unprofitable notes - Senior Consultant Researcher of CIC Agri Businesses Dr. Sumith Abeysiriwardena. Yet, instead of being abandoned, rice production over the last 6 decades has increased by 12 times!

He points out the tremendous demand for rice, as a grain easy to handle and the only crop for marshy lands. With our technology and unique hydraulic systems our productivity is high and points that history proves rice is both our staple and our stronghold against our many enemies.

He describes while other countries has made a viable export and domestic industry, we have decreased our rice consumption for wheat, making us economically vulnerable. He feels that buffer stock provides a good solution to stabilise our staple, especially with unpredictability unique to agriculture. Our neighbours seem to be reciprocating his very thoughts.

MD/CEO of Agri Businesses Keerthi Kotagama, calculates that even with the best estimates, rice shortage is imminent at least at the tail end of year 2008, and a buffer stock is the only solution to address this immediate problem. Kotagama continues that with increased production of ethanol due to increasing fuel prices and globalisation, the world is about to face a severe rice shortage.

The intervention programmes of our immediate neighbours, though taken with the country’s interests at heart, are causing unintended and long-term repercussions threatening to create a hungrier world.

Conversely, this has provided Sri Lanka a strategic moment that if used right would propel its rice industry to new levels. By developing the export market, Kotagama calculates that the farmer stands to earn at least Rs. 30,000 per acre, while the local consumer getting his rice at the fair price of Rs. 70 per kg.

The life of the average Sri Lankan is closely linked with his village, temple and paddy fields, points out Kotagama. This has been the way of life for centuries. However, since colonization both the socioeconomics and the social fabric of Sri Lanka have drastically changed.

This has directly affected the rice industry in Sri Lanka. Before colonisation, the village council, which is comprised of elders and betters of the society, had the power to initiate change, address and solve issues. Only the larger problems moved upwards in the seat of power.

Since the council comprised of villagers themselves, whose families had lived for centuries in that village and they and their succeeding generations have to continue to live in that village, the decisions they took had to be wise and far reaching.

Any serious decision thus took into account the knowledge passed by the generations gone, the needs of the current generation and the faith of the generations to come. Their task was made that much easier because the council members were appointed for life and not for a short period of 3 - 6 years.

Thus, their outlook was not restrained to a short period either. Also, this allowed them or their sons to be held accountable for the decisions they took.

Though social mobility was severely restricted during pre-colonisation, continues Kotagama, each person was entrusted with an obligation to the State and the society.

Today, this kind of system has bad connotations essentially because of the restriction on social mobility. While Kotagama stresses the point that no one should be forced or categorised because of his birth or creed, he also points out that the system then also served an enormous purpose.

This system, expands Kotagama, is especially found to be repulsive today for many confuse this with the chauvinistic cast system of India. However, while the Sri Lankan society also had the hierarchy system as seen in any society and had a system of segmentation, people were not belittled or shunned as was done in other cast conscious societies.

The bargain we as individuals have with the State is that we surrender our sovereignty to the State in return of their protection and the respect the State pays to our views, notes Kotagama. The pre-colonised system required each individual to render an obligation to the society.

This enabled the state to create and maintain the intricate hydraulic systems for there were a vigilant system in the form of individuals to maintain it.

Each individual had to actively contribute to the progress of the community, which in turn contributed to the betterment of the individual.

Join Daily News next Friday as bojoon.com unravels with CIC many mysteries and misinterpretations surrounding rice cultivation in Sri Lanka.

Share your own opinion by simply dropping an email to [email protected]. For more information of who we are, do visit www.bojoon.com.

Cannelloni and Lasagna fiesta at ‘The Bay Leaf’ in July

Lovers of Cannelloni and Lasagna are in for a treat when Colombo’s finest Italian restaurant, “The Bay Leaf”, brings its culinary adventure of a mouth-watering Cannelloni and Lasagna Promotion in July. The signature dishes to be launched on Tuesday 15 July bring on the legendary and authentic flavours and aromas of fine Italian cuisine to titillate taste buds in a super fine dining experience.

Among the signature Lasagna dishes are ‘Lasagna Alla Marinara’ (layered oven baked fresh pasta with seafood) and ‘Lasagna Verdi’ (layered oven baked spinach pasta with mushrooms and vegetables).

The cannelloni range features ‘Cannelloni con Agnello’ (fresh pasta tubes stuffed with lamb meat, oven baked with cream and cheese sauce), ‘Cannelloni al Nero di Seppia’ (squid ink fresh pasta tubes stuffed with cray fish, oven baked with cream, tomato and cheese sauce) and ‘Cannelloni Rosse’ (home-made chili fresh pasta tubes stuffed with fresh salmon and ricotta cheese, oven baked with tomato, cream and cheese sauce).

The Bay Leaf continues with its traditional Pizza of the Month, and, taking top billing in July is “Pizza Hawaiian” - with its super generous helpings of ham, chicken and pineapple.

Now a regular feature in Colombo’s shopping list are the baskets of fresh produce from Nuwara Eliya’s vegetable gardens an attraction at the Bay Leaf over the weekends.

Available as hampers and also in baskets, fresh vegetables can even be purchased by weight without the option of a hamper.

Soup and salads extravaganza at ‘The Commons’

Encouraging clientele to indulge in a diet-conscious yet healthy lifestyle:

‘The Commons’ has now established itself as Colombo city’s most popular Coffee House hang-out with a varied clientele ranging from expatriates to corporates, teenagers to housewives and everybody in between. Its cool, casual and comfy ambience attracts guests to chat over an extra long meal or grab a quick rushed bite or even sit in a corner and read over a chilled or hot drink.

Encouraging its vast clientele to indulge in a diet-conscious yet healthy lifestyle this month, ‘The Commons’ launches a special Soups and Salads Promo from July 18-31. Taking top billing are the ‘Asparagus Soup’, ‘Leek and Mushroom Cheese Soup’ and the ‘Hot and Soup Prawn Soup’.

Among the tantalising salads are the ‘Wasabi Chicken Pasta Salad’, ‘Squid and Vegetable Salad’, ‘Prawns, Spinach, Melon and Mango Salad’, ‘Mediterranean Tuna Salad’ and of course the traditional ‘Fresh Vegetable Salad’ Meanwhile the permanent (and free) WiFi connectivity continues to invite guests to laze around over a drink and a bite, and explore the wonderful world of the web.

“Sunday All Day Breakfast” at The Commons continues as usual from 9.00 am to midnight where you can simply roll out of bed at morning, noon or night and rush to ‘The Commons’ for breakfast ! The usual Monday to Friday breakfast is also operative from 7.30 - 11.00 am daily.

The popular “Rotti Cart on Wheels” still operates big time, luring Colombo’s kottu lovers with its tantalising and scrumptious range, AND of course, its signature Cheese Chicken Kottu.

So treat, spoil and pamper yourself at ‘The Commons’ this month, and re-define your lifestyle at the coziest hang-out in Colombo.