Sri Lanka faces looming seed crisis as import reliance hits 92%, Farmers warn amid global uncertainty

By Mangala Pavithrani

Colombo, April 28 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka is at risk of a serious seed shortage in the future due to heavy reliance on imports and global political instability Chairman of the National Farmers' Union Anuradha Tennakoon has warned.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror Tennakoon said that, around 92% of the country’s vegetable and fruit seeds are currently imported, a sharp increase from 80% a few years ago.

"Seeds for upcountry vegetable cultivation are mainly imported from countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, and claimed that there is no proper system in place to check their quality," he added.

Tennakoon further said that a monopoly in the private sector has led to a rapid increase in seed prices, creating a crisis in the cultivation of crops such as carrots, cabbage, leeks, cucumber and watermelon.

He alleged that, although the Department of Agriculture operates nearly 18 seed farms across the country, there is no proper programme to use them to meet local seed demand.

Warning that seed imports could exceed 95% in the near future if urgent action is not taken, Tennakoon described the situation as a threat to local seed resources.

He urged the government to intervene immediately and support registered seed producers to boost domestic seed production.