Minister assures rice is free of Arsenic

The Agriculture Minister emphasises that not a single variety of rice produced in Sri Lanka is contaminated with Arsenic. A special news conference in this respect was held in Colombo today.

 Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywrdena said that tests were carried out in a proper manner after collecting samples from disputed areas. Results of these tests had been received. These were conducted by institutions approved by Gazette notifications and with the use of advanced technology. Accordingly the Minister assured that he could announce with no hesitation that rice produced locally are not contaminated with Arsenic, following the use of pesticides.It was revealed at the news briefing that tests were being carried out by the Industrial Technical Institute, the Government Analyst Department, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute, and the Central Agricultural Research Institute.