The Court of Appeal will hear a writ petition in October seeking to prevent beer manufacturers from using rice and sugar as primary raw materials, with petitioners arguing the practice violates excise laws and harms national rice self-sufficiency efforts.
The Court of Appeal has scheduled October 2, 2026 to hear arguments on a writ petition that challenges the approval of rice and sugar as primary ingredients in beer manufacturing. A bench comprising Justices R. Gurusinghe and Annalingam Premashankar granted respondent liquor manufacturers time to file objections to the petition during a recent hearing.
The petition was filed by licensed liquor vendors against the Commissioner General of Excise, excise officials, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the Attorney General, and the Inspector General of Police. The petitioners contend that current beer production practices contradict the Excise Ordinance, which defines beer as a fermented alcoholic beverage made from malt. They claim manufacturers are increasingly substituting rice and sugar for malt without proper authorization.
Beyond legal definitions, the petitioners raise economic concerns. They argue that diverting domestically-produced rice for commercial beer manufacturing undermines government agricultural subsidies and threatens the nation's rice self-sufficiency goals. Additionally, the petitioners contend that the Sri Lanka Standards Institution has not adequately updated beverage production standards to address current manufacturing practices.
Liquor manufacturing representatives, represented by President's Counsel K. Kanag-Isvaran, Sumathi Dharmawardena, and Ali Sabry, sought the opportunity to respond to the petition's allegations. The October hearing will determine whether the court will issue directives restricting the use of rice and sugar in beer production.
