A large stock of rice in 48 containers imported by Sathosa between January and July this year was unsuitable for human consumption, sources said.
Accordingly, sources at Sathosa said a stock of 156,000 kilograms of imported rice cannot be sold due to inferior quality and stocks of Nadu, Samba, Keeri Samba, Super Samba and Basmati were among them.
These imported rice stocks are stored in warehouses at Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Welisara and Ratmalana.
According to Sathosa’s internal sources, these stocks are unfit for human consumption due to fungal infections and worm and pest infestations etc.
In response, Trade, Commerce and Food Safety Minister Nalin Fernando said that some rice containers were already damaged during the process of importation.
Source – Aruna
