Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti said yesterday that they have called upon the Lanka Sugar Company and other industrial institutions to produce quality spirits using ethanol, a by-product of sugar production.
He said that their aim is not to promote alcohol consumption, but to protect the public from falling victim to illicitly brewed, inferior spirits – arrack, moonshine, and toddy, which pose significant health risks.
The Government is encouraging the production of quality spirits to curb the availability of harmful, unregulated alcohol that poses a serious threat to public safety, Handunnetti said.
“We aim to protect consumers not only from the health risks of illicit alcohol but also from the financial losses they incur by purchasing these harmful beverages,” he added.
The Minister was speaking during a visit to the Pelwatta and Sevanagala sugar factories.
Minister Handunnetti said that over 250,000 litres of illicit liquor are consumed daily in the country, highlighting the need for stricter regulation and safer alternatives.
Poor-quality arrack, produced using low-grade maize purchased at cheaper rates, was sold to the public during previous regimes, posing harm to consumers, he said.
“Low-grade arrack was sold to the public at about Rs. 3,800 per bottle, while the cost of producing a litre of ethanol from substandard maize was only Rs. 173. The drinking public was unaware of this exploitation,” he said. “We have issued directives to produce standard spirits using scientific methods at lower costs,” he said.
He added that the authorities have been urged to impose a lower price cap on ethanol produced from substandard maize, based on the price of one kilogram of maize used in production.
“The use of maize for liquor production has caused a scarcity of poultry feed, affecting the livestock industry. Similarly, rice is being used in beer production, which has contributed to a shortage of rice in the market,” he said.
The Minister also said that the Government will take steps to produce organic sugar targeting the export market, to create an orderly distribution network for the distribution of sugar production and prepare performance indicators to increase the productivity of workers.
The Minister said that organic sugar is environment-friendly because it does not use harmful chemicals that seep into the ground or water supply. Initially, 100 hectares of land have been allocated for sugarcane cultivation for organic sugar production.
The attention of the Minister has also been focused on taking urgent measures together with the Ministry of irrigation to restore the canals to overcome the difficulties faced by the farmers in getting water.
The Minister also sought to promote eco-tourism by using the tourist bungalows in these factories.
