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Imported rice for animal feed?

18 Sep 2022

By Skandha Gunasekara   Imported rice can be used to produce animal feed, as there are ample stocks of rice for human consumption till December, according to Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera. The Minister’s comments, which were made last week, drew wide criticism, with some questioning why rice unfit for human consumption had been imported in the first place. However, Minister Amaraweera told The Sunday Morning that excess stocks of imported rice could be utilised to make animal feed, pointing out that there was a shortage of animal feed for the poultry industry. Amaraweera has proposed to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to amend the relevant gazette so that the excess stocks of imported rice can be used for animal feed. Currently, such stocks of imported rice cannot be used for the production of animal feed.  “There are serious shortages in both eggs and chicken in the market due to a lack of animal feed. This is because of the two main types of animal feed – rice and maize. The latter has become very expensive due to import restrictions. Using rice for the purpose will be a simple solution.” He said that further importation of rice was not needed as there was adequate stock from domestic production to last till December and in the event of a shortage, more could easily be imported at short notice.   Meanwhile, Director General of Agriculture Dr. Ajantha de Silva said that the paddy harvest for the year had been higher than initially estimated.  


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