Navy seizes 1,340 kgs of turmeric off Kalpitiya

The Sri Lanka Navy made another detection of turmeric smuggled into the country today (26) when they seized 1,340 kilograms off Kalpitya.

The detection was made during a special operation at Daluwa by the Northwestern Naval Command during which they arrested three suspects involved in the smuggling racket.

The turmeric was seized from dinghy that arrived at Daluwa beach. In addition to the turmeric which was stuffed in 37 sacks,  800 packets of glyphosate each containing 100g was also detected.

The Navy also took hold of a lorry at the beach, believed to have been there to transport these consignments.

The suspects, 35- to 43-years-of- age, nabbed in the operation were identified as residents of Kalpitiya.

The entire operation was conducted adhering to COVID-19 preventive guidelines, the Navy said.

 The suspects along with the stocks of dried turmeric and glyphosate, the dinghy and lorry were handed over to the Customs Preventive Office Katunayake for onward legal action.

The latest detection came as the Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) was saddled with one million kilos of turmeric imported into the country awaiting orders from the government for its disposal.

A consignment of  62 containers containing 27 metric tonnes that arrived last July  after the ban on turmeric  in December 2020 was imposed and  is being stored at the SLC storage facility in Orugodawatte., Colombo.

A directive to importers to return the consignment to country of origin, as per government decision,  has been met with slow response due to accumulated  demurrage fee for storage at the SLC yards .

Spokesman Sunil Jayaratne said that part of the seized turmeric was handed over to the Ayurveda Department .

“ However, now they had refused to accept the turmeric as local turmeric can be purchased fresh from the  market,” he said.

The Export Agriculture Department has promised to have the local turmeric available in the market in the first week of February. A harvest of 22,000 metric tonnes is expected locally which will turn out to 3500 kilograms of cured turmeric.