January 13, Colombo (LNW): Former Director of Agriculture, K.B. Gunaratne, has laid the blame for the current shortage of red raw rice squarely on the shoulders of a politician from the Southern Province, who was responsible for agriculture during the previous regime.
A series of politically motivated decisions made over the past six years have led to a severe lack of this essential staple, according to Gunaratne.
In a recent briefing in Kandy, Gunaratne explained that the crisis surrounding red raw rice was directly caused by the arbitrary actions of those in political power, which sidelined the needs of farmers in favour of fulfilling political agendas.
“For the past six years, the Agriculture Department was not serving the interests of the farmers but instead was working to fulfil the wishes of politicians,” he said.
Gunaratne further detailed how the people of the Southern Province, who traditionally consume red raw rice more than any other group in the country, were severely impacted by these decisions.
“At one point, there was an overwhelming demand for red raw rice, not only in the Southern Province but across the entire country,” he remarked, pointing out that the farmers had responded by cultivating the AT 362 rice variety in significant quantities.
“As a result, there was a large surplus of red raw rice, and farmers were even storing it,” he added.
However, according to Gunaratne, the situation took a turn for the worse when the government, under political pressure, distributed 20 kilogrammes of this surplus rice to families nationwide for free.
“What the political authorities did was to distribute large quantities of red raw rice to the people without considering the long-term effects. This is one of the key reasons we are now facing such a scarcity,” he said.
Following this, he claimed, the same authorities then advised farmers to shift their focus to cultivating Keeri Samba rice instead of red raw rice, further exacerbating the problem.
“This is the real story behind the shortage of red raw rice,” Gunaratne asserted.
The former director also lamented the lack of red raw rice available for one of the most significant festivals for the Tamil community, Thai Pongal, a time when the rice is traditionally used to prepare milk rice offerings to the gods.
“At this moment, there is no red raw milk rice to offer during the Thai Pongal festival. This situation is deeply troubling,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gunaratne warned that the ongoing shortage of red raw rice could persist well into next year, potentially lasting until August or September.
“Currently, the government is attempting to halt rice imports, but even if they bring in 100,000 metric tons, it will only be enough for around 10 to 11 days of consumption,” he explained.
He also cautioned that if the government fails to implement a comprehensive strategy to address the rice shortage, prices will continue to rise.
“If nothing is done, the price of Nadu rice could reach Rs. 330 to Rs. 350 per kilogramme, while Samba rice could climb to Rs. 380 to Rs. 400. Keeri Samba will also become more expensive, with prices potentially soaring past Rs. 450 per kilogramme,” Gunaratne predicted. “In addition, red raw rice may become completely unavailable.“
