News
Something is definitely rotten: 30 to 40% of our fruits, veggies thrown away annually
Around 30 to 40 percent of all fruits and vegetables harvested in Sri Lanka are thrown away each year—a chronic problem that’s been the subject of at least 82 largely neglected research studies conducted between 2013 and 2018.
The studies were done by five public institutions connected with the agriculture sector at a total cost of around Rs 145mn, says a national audit report recently presented to Parliament. But they were not overseen by the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy and “had not contributed to minimize the issues (of) post-harvest loss”. The loss each year of around 270 tons of fruits and vegetables is estimated by the National Audit Office (NAO) at Rs 20bn.
While improvements in seed use and distribution, including planting of imported hybrid seeds, have boosted harvest, distribution weaknesses continue to see it go to waste year after year.
Storage remains a serious issue. But opportunities to expand have been repeatedly squandered, the NAO report on minimization of post-harvest losses observes. For instance, a budgetary provision of Rs 2bn was made through the Ministry of Rural Economic Affairs in 2016 to build five cold stores.
In March 2017, Cabinet approved awarding the contract to a private company for Rs 30mn. An agreement was signed for the provision of consultancy services. A feasibility study was released in November.
But as land was never identified for the project, it was cancelled, even after Rs 11.3mn was paid for the consultancy.
Also in 2017, the National Policies and Economic Affairs Ministry along with the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry launched an initiative to build a temperature-controlled cold store facility in Dambulla on land belonging to the Urban Development Authority (UDA). The Indian Government offered a grant of Rs 300mn to cover a part of the cost. A joint venture company got the contract for Rs 525mn.
The completion date was set for September 26, last year. But a feasibility study was not prepared, the audit report says. And Central Environmental Authority recommendations were not received even by the scheduled project completion date. By September 2019, a sum of Rs 184mn (with taxes) had been spent but physical progress at that date was just 55 per cent.
The report highlights the sheer scale of waste by picking some crops as examples. These include tomatoes where production has seen a spike owing to the use of imported hybrid seeds. There were 25 percent more tomatoes in 2018 when compared with the previous year.
A 2016 study by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) on tomato cultivation and processing the Matale district placed post-harvest loss at around 40 percent. Between 2010 and 2016, the tomato surplus was nearly 28,000 metric tons. Instead of using this in related industries, tomato raw-materials are imported. From 2014 to 2018, between 0.01 and 6.7 metric tons were brought in as fresh or refrigerated tomato, the audit has found.
In March 2018, the Industrial Technology Institution sent a letter to the Director General of Agriculture with several proposals, including how to produce tomato sauce using Sri Lankan tomatoes. Its research had concluded that the “Tharindu” variety was more suitable for tomato pulp followed by the “Thilina” variety. It also offered advice to minimize post-harvest loss. “Action had not been taken to draw attention on the issues mentioned in the research and to create tomato related products even up to now,” the NAO says.
The audit identified broadening fruit and vegetable exports as a means to minimize post-harvest loss. But export data shows that only around 40 varieties are being sent to 11 countries. Of the total production between 2014 and 2018, the export production was two to four percent. Problems faced by suppliers include difficulty getting orders, transport, stores and financing.
Researchers have urged that standards be established on grading of produce once harvested. Ripe and matured fruits must be separately packed, selected and graded. This will ensure better market and higher prices. Such standards have not been defined by the National Post-Harvest Management Institute (NPHMI), the NAO finds. And while the Sri Lanka Standards Institution has fixed standards for various fruit grades such as mango, papaw and grapes, they are not used in the market.
Storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables without suitable packaging is identified as the main cause of post-harvest loss. The audit points to badly ventilated lorries, minimum unloading facilities at the Colombo wholesale market and the continued use of polysack bags as some of the issues. There are also no rules against workers sitting or sleeping on the goods.
The solution repeatedly offered to farmers is the use of plastic crates. However, they do not see this a practical because it needs more space in lorries while loading and unloading also costs more.