Dining

RICE: Economic Boom or Bust? - Part XX
 

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 continues:

Continuing on with food miles and the impact it will have on the consumer's choice, it is important to remember that global food economy is here to stay. People will want out of season produce, exotic fruits and so on. It is very unlikely that the consumer will stop at home grown.

This will give rise to a new level of global competition - whose produce is the most environmental friendly and the one who can prove as such will have the upper edge. It is not enough to be just environmentally friendly, but is also imperative to be economical as well to the end consumer.

Already prominent supermarket chains like Tesco have pledged their commitment with entities such as carbon Trust to measure how much CO2 is emitted in each stage of production. Already vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes and even orange juice is being mapped for their carbon footprint.

Already the fruit flown in from India has been shown to make up less than a quarter of the carbon emission tally on its mango and passion fruits. By presenting the different carbon trail left by each different producer the end consumer is able to make better informed choices in his shopping.

Thus, the work is cut out for the farmer. With the looming food crisis agriculture is set to be a very profitable venture, especially from a global level than a domestic level. The governments will continue to horde excess produce to maintain their buffer stock levels.

The farmer hence now has the challenge to coax beyond the levels taken for buffer stock levels to be able to play in the international arena. In the international arena he is likely to earn couple of folds than he does in the domestic market.

He will however find himself in a stiff competition with the other global players. Thus, his challenge is not only to produce more from his existing land, but also to produce economically so as to get an edge over the other global players. The farmer thus must cut his production costs in terms of the fertiliser used and in using renewable energy.

These changes will especially be a challenge to the farmer in the developing countries who do not have the same access to better technology and better methodologies as the farmer in developed countries. This will definitely threaten to unbalance the playing field and if the farmer from the developing country does not gear himself now itself with better information he is set to lose in the international arena.

The farmer in the developing country will find GM seeds a panacea to him many challenges. However, GM seeds also need to be used with a finite understanding.

GM seeds are after all a big business of biotech companies and while producing seeds that meet the farmers' requirements they will also try to assure their customer base, making it tough for farmers eventually to make their own decisions in selecting their own seeds.

However, while these are concerns that the farmer needs to be aware and issues actively addressed by governments, these should by no means diminish the importance of the work done by these biotech companies.

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.

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. AAA increased by 12 times! He points out the tremendous demand for rice, easy to handle grain 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.

While other countries have made a viable export and domestic industry, we have decreased our rice consumption for wheat, making us economically vulnerable. Our neighbours certainly reciprocate his belief that buffer stock provides a good solution to stabilise our staple, especially with unpredictability unique to agriculture. 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 a good profit with the local consumer getting his rice at the fair price.

However, he continues the socio-fabric has changed drastically since colonisation. While there are advantages with these changes, these also make intricate agricultural projects and concepts like farmer associations impossible. Though farmer associations are a hard sell, they bringforth an array of benefits, notes Dean of the Agriculture Department of Peradeniya University, Professor Buddhi Marambe, such as accruing proper data for research, adapting proper technology and educating the farmer on finance management.

However, he continues that if the government looks into the unconventional resource of university undergrads then the government would be able to match the capacity of the private sector in conducting extension programmes.

Singapore street food at Trans Asia

Tired of going to posh restaurants? Looking for a more casual and relaxed evening where an abundance of food surrounds you? Again, you don't have to drive far or wait too long for something this different which soon come to you courtesy Trans Asia Hotel. Singapore Street food! Call it hawker street food, or food court type of food, roadside eating houses food, it's flavourful, there's variety, it's affordable, could be messy and most likely unhealthy!! But hey! We are talking about good food here. Absolutely dazzlingly varied and addictively delicious. It inspires mystical awe. Who cares if it's on the street? The difference is that it is not any street, but the Terrace at the Trans Asia hotel.

So, taking the festivity of the Singapore streets, to the terrace of Trans Asia, The Hawker Street Fair will kick off on October 10th and will go on till October 19th. The hotel's kitchen brigade are set to bring on a typical street festival with energy and creativity, allowing you to browse through the food stalls with live cooking. Savour the best of Singapore's hawker food and rediscover the joys of al-fresco dining as Chef Yeo and Chef Chan treat you to this unparalleled feast of a mixture of cuisines. They are the specialists in the cuisines on offer, and specially flown in for the occasion from Singapore courtesy of American Express. They are sure to enliven Colombo with a veritable jamboree of unique culinary experiences. Long Feng's Zhiqianq Qiu joins them in putting this show together.

Watch out for delightful flavours from Malaysia, Singapore and India all under one roof and cooked to your liking. To name a few, are Lontong, Mee Siam, Black Pepper Crab, Lor Mee, Prawn Noodle Soup, Chicken Rendang, Mee Rebus, Indian Biriyani, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Hokkien Noodles, Laksa Lemak, Singapore Chilli Crab, Otak Otak and many more. For desserts are Honeydew with Sago, Black glutinous rice with coconut, Red Bean paste, Cheng Teng and lots more.

All action stations are on a la carte basis. This way, you are not constrained to pay a buffet price but have a choice to select what item you would like to savour. The Terrace of Trans Asia will be transformed into a busy street atmosphere, with a total festive feel, with tables set on the Terrace facing the Beira Lake under the night skies.