- Last Update 2025-06-10 23:51:00
Govt to discourage importing of dried chillies, big onions and potatoes
A three-year plan is underway to produce dried chillies, potatoes and big onions sufficient for local consumption, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.
He said the government will impose import tax on dried chillies and potatoes imported to the country in order to promote local produce.
“The country is losing foreign exchange by importing when it is capable of producing all three goods. The annual demand for dried chillies is about 50,000 metric tons. People here consume 230,000 million metric tons of potatoes and 290,000 million metric tons of big onions annually. Unfortunately, only 500 metric tons of dried chillies, 60,000 metric tons of onions and 80,000 tons of potatoes are produced in the country,” he said.
The Minister said the plan is to achieve 100 percent dried chilli demand within three years while reaching 60 percent onions and 65 percent potatoes requirement.
The Cabinet of Ministers agreed to impose a 40 per cent tax on imported onions this week in order to encourage local onion farmers.
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