A first for Sri Lanka:

CIC exports country rice to USA

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

For the first time in the history of agriculture in Sri Lanka, CIC Agri Business will export country rice to USA. An initial order for three containers of rice has already been placed and the quantity would be exported next month.

CIC, a 100 per cent locally owned company is already exporting various varieties of rice to Europe and this will be the first time that the company is exporting country rice to the US market.

According to Assistant General Manager - Production of CIC Agri Businesses Priyanga Dematawa at Pelwehera in Dambulla, the company had received many international inquiries for rice. “However, we were not in a position to export as we did not have our own rice mill,” he said.

The company recently invested Rs. 110 million and set up a rice mill in Maho as a BoI venture. “This has given us facilities for exports,” he said.

Dematawa said that they are not only catering to Asians living in USA. “There is a new trend for health foods in Europe, Australia and USA and red rice has been identified as one of the most nutritious foods.

“This is the reason for us to explore this growing untapped market,” he said. He said that a special one kilogram pack has been designed for the US market which also provides step by step instructions as to how the rice should be prepared for consumption.

CIC recently launched their rice to the local market as well and they are now looking at introducing new varieties.

CIC have a outgrower base of over 3,000 farmers with whom the company has a forward sales agreement. The company had provided them seeds, manure and the technical assistance and buys paddy in return at a higher price than the Government certified price.

“With new export orders on the pipeline and having our own rice mill we are now expanding. CIC Agri Businesses is the largest private seed production centre in Sri Lanka. In Pelwehera laboratory the production is over 20 per cent of the total seed paddy requirement in Sri Lanka.

The facility also has a soil testing laboratory and a tissue culture lab. CIC Seeds (Pvt) Ltd. is the market leader of the private sector seed companies in Sri Lanka and the only seed company in Sri Lanka to receive ISO 9001 quality management system certification, he said.

The company also manages a 1300 acres of mainly paddy, fruits and vegetables in Hingurakgoda.

CIC Agribusinesses encompasses all agriculture related businesses that are carried out within the CIC group.

This includes the companies CIC Fertilizers Pvt Ltd, CIC Seeds Pvt Ltd, CIC Agri Biotech Pvt Ltd and the divisions pertaining to Agri Technology, Agro Consultancy, Agri Equipment, Home Gardening and Agro Tourism.