Rice shortage worsens as more paddy diverted to beer production?

The Small and Medium Scale Rice Mill Owners’ Association says that a rice shortage in the market is partly due to more raw rice being used for beer production.

The association explains that diverting rice to make beer has reduced the amount available for consumers, pushing prices up.

Association Chairman U.K. Semasinghe said that the rice used in beer is made from a type of paddy called ‘Nadu.’ When more of this paddy goes toward beer production, less is left for making regular ‘Nadu’ rice.

Farmers’ groups are also concerned, calling on the government to help stabilize rice prices.

Many shopkeepers are struggling to find rice at the government-set price, which is worsening the shortage in the market.

In recent weeks, rice prices have risen sharply, and there is a clear shortage of ‘Nadu’ rice for consumers.

To address this, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with major rice distributors. After the meeting, they agreed to keep rice prices under control to ease the impact on consumers during the shortage.