Sri Lanka's onion growers are raising concerns over new government purchasing criteria that they say are impractical and disadvantage local producers while favouring importers. National Farmers' Union Chairman Anuradha Thennakoon stated that the new standards for locally purchased onions impose strict size and quality requirements that farmers are unable to meet under current conditions.
According to the regulations, the diameter of each onion bulb purchased must range between 35 and 65 millimetres. Stocks containing bulbs outside this range cannot exceed 10% of the total weight. The standards also stipulate that approximately eight onions must be present per kilogram, along with additional quality conditions.
"These criteria are not practical. So far, 150,000 metric tons of imported onions have already been brought into the country. We see this as a meticulous operation to sell those stocks and protect the importers," Thennakoon said, adding that the same restrictions do not apply to imported onions. He also noted that no previous administration had imposed such requirements on onion regulation.
Sri Lanka's annual onion demand is about 280,000 metric tons, and around 90% of that is currently supplied through imports. Domestic cultivation this season covered roughly 2,400 hectares in Dambulla, Galewela, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, and Kekirawa, though yields have reportedly been low. Farmers have struggled to sell their harvests due to limited procurement schemes and the strict new grading system.
Chairman of Lanka Sathosa Ltd., Samitha Perera, explained that the agency purchases only onions that meet resale quality standards. Under the current initiative, Sathosa has been buying onions from local growers at 140 Sri Lankan rupees per kilogram (approximately US$0.47), but the purchase limit has been capped at 2,000 kilograms per farmer.
Growers in Matale, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa, who began harvesting in recent months, reported that the purchasing restrictions have left many unable to sell their produce at viable prices. Some farmers have said that unsold stocks are beginning to rot in storage.
Thennakoon stressed that the new purchasing framework places further pressure on farmers who are already facing low yields and limited market access. "Many growers have become helpless due to their inability to sell their harvest at a fair price," he said.
The government has defended the standards as part of efforts to ensure quality and uniformity in domestic supply, but farmer groups argue that the criteria create additional barriers for local producers competing with imported onions.
Source 1: Sri Lanka Mirror
Source 2: Daily Mirror Online
