According to Sri Lankan Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, 19 percent of vegetables and 21 percent of fruits in our country are destroyed due to lack of proper transportation. The Minister also stated that annually about 221,955 tons of vegetables and 290,151 tons of fruits are lost to the consumption of the people of the country. The Minister expressed these views while participating in a discussion held with several university professors on food safety.
In 2016, it was planned to present a Cabinet Paper for this purpose, but since the work has not been completed so far, it was decided in this discussion to prepare a new ministerial paper. The absence of a well-known food research laboratory in our country is a serious deficiency.
Minister Amaraweera further said that post-harvest damage in Sri Lanka is at a very high level and the country loses nearly 40 percent of the harvest due to post-harvest damage. Also, the amount of food wasted is very high in urban areas.
Source: dailynews.lk