Tests conducted by the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) in Batalagoda have revealed that 162 out of 365 samples of Basmati rice imported to Sri Lanka in the last 03 years since 2021, are of substandard quality.
Accordingly, 203 samples had met import standards.
From the year 2021, Basmati rice has been imported to Sri Lanka from various countries including India and Pakistan.
Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries – Mahinda Amaraweera, had recently informed the RRDI to provide a quality report on the samples of Basmati rice imported to Sri Lanka from 2021 to date.
Accordingly, 109 samples of Basmati rice imported from India during this time were given to the RRDI. Of these, 68 samples were declared acceptable while 41 were rejected.
Similarly, 214 samples of Basmati rice from Pakistan were also tested with 121 samples deemed acceptable and 93 failing to meet quality standards.
Also, 42 rice samples from other countries were provided to the RRDI, of which only 14 samples were found to be of suitable quality.
