The National Association of Rice Millers (Analmo), requested a standards approval meeting and a new grain quality study, this, after inconsistencies were presented between what was disclosed by the Authority for Consumer Protection and Defense of Competition (Acodeco), on August 11 and the official results of the analysis report delivered on August 18.
According to Analmo, the official information received from Acodeco details that 31 brands from 15 mills have been analyzed, five of which meet the technical requirements, but eight brands need to be analyzed, five of first class rice and three of special rice.
“We consider that before making public announcements of the results, they should inform the sector of the findings and establish a short-term corrective plan that includes sanctions, supervision, and restrictions against repeat offending economic agents,” they said in a statement.
They highlighted that all the mills in the country have specialized equipment for the quality analysis of their product, so a standards approval meeting is a priority to give much more precision to the sample, since Acodeco only defines whether it complies or not. with the quality standard, however the standard has specific measurement parameters on the quantities of whole and broken rice, sampling, degree of humidity, cleanliness and smell that Acodeco does not specify in its report.
“For the reliability of the analysis, in favor of transparency and after learning that Minister Augusto Valderrama was able to intervene in the investigation by making erroneous information about the study public before it was completed by Acodeco, the members of ANALMO respectfully request a new analysis grain quality, meeting the technical and control requirements established by the standard”, they specified.
