Dubai, Kenya keen on Lanka sudu kekulu -Internal Trade Minister

Irangika RANGE

Sri Lanka will export white raw rice (sudu kekulu), Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

"We have received orders from Dubai and Kenya while several other countries too have expressed their willingness to import rice from Sri Lanka," the Minister said.

These two countries have placed orders for 5,000 tonnes of white raw rice (sudu kekulu).

"We have already exported 250 metric tons of rice to Kenya from a stock in the Food Commissioner's Department store in Veyangoda. This is the first consignment of rice exported to Kenya by Sri Lanka," the Minister said.

Since the country has become self-sufficient in rice under the Mahinda Chinthana programme, the extra rice stocks which reaped during the last Yala season stored in granaries of the Paddy Marketing Board would export to other countries.

"We were planning to send more stocks to different countries including African and the Middle East countries in the near future whose leaders have expressed interest in purchasing rice from Sri Lanka.

"The country recorded a bumper paddy harvest during the last Yala season. Provision of the fertilizer subsidy, the government's programme of protecting the farmers, and providing a fixed price for paddy, have contributed for the increase in rice production, the Minister pointed out.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is exploring the possibility of exporting rice to emerging markets as well.