Common practices and abundance of insects in rice mills in Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The facilities and conditions available in rice mills have a direct impact on the quantitative and qualitative output of rice production. Despite the great contribution towards the national rice production from the Polonnaruwa district, no recent updates on the existing conditions of rice mills in this area are available. Insect infestation in feed mills is reported from other countries but such information in Sri Lanka is minimum. The current study survey investigated the existing condition of the rice milling industry and insect infestation in mills in Polonnaruwa district. The mills were randomly selected and information on the milling process is collected. The samples of milling output were collected from different locations of the mills and analyzed for the presence of insects and their diversity. Large, medium, and small-scale rice mills were found. The milling and storage capacity and presence and diversity of insects varied with the type of mill. The current study provides insights on the existing status of the rice milling industry and the abundance of insects in such facilities in the Polonnaruwa district. This information would be important for decision making to augment the efficiency in rice milling and to design appropriate protective methods safe guard the milling output from insect infestations.