Sri Lanka loses Rs. 9 billion annually as a result of poor storage and transport practices for agricultural produce.
This fact was revealed through a study conducted by the Post Harvest Technology Institute.
The chairman of the Institute, N.V.T.A. Veragoda, said that the losses are as high as 10-15% of the total paddy harvest and 30-40% of the country's fruit harvest.
The main reason for such huge losses is ignorance among producers, transporters and retailers, the survey said. In response, the Post Harvest Technology Institute says it will initiate a programme to popularise the use of safer sacks to store paddy and plastic baskets for fruits and vegetables.
