Sri Lanka’s fresh produce sector faces major losses due to poor packaging: EDB

National Plant Quarantine Service Deputy Director Kamani Priyadarshani addresses the EDB awareness session

Sri Lanka’s fresh produce sector is currently experiencing significant post-harvest losses due to poor packaging, according to the Export Development Board (EDB).

According to the EDB, 20-30 percent of locally produced vegetables and 15-20 percent of fruits are lost post harvesting mainly due to low quality packaging that fails to protect the produce properly during storage and transport. 

To address this issue, EDB’s National Packaging Center in collaboration with the National Plant Quarantine Service and industry experts recently conducted an awareness session for 70 exporters at the EDB offices located in Colombo.

“One of the objectives for conducting this awareness session is to reduce the post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables through innovative packaging solutions and enhance the value of export products. In Sri Lanka, post-harvest losses are significant and inadequate packaging has been identified as a major cause of these losses.” the EDB stated.

The awareness session highlighted the importance of adopting modern and innovative packaging methods, including new packaging concepts and the use of technology such as graphical designs which are applicable for fruits and vegetables. 

Moreover, the process of obtaining a plant quarantine certificate and selecting the right materials to prevent product degradation were also highlighted at the event.

According to the EDB, Sri Lanka produces approximately  540,000 metric tons of fruits and 710,000 metric tons of vegetables annually.  Both of the produce items are exported to several destinations such as the Middle East, Maldives, Europe, Canada, India and Pakistan.

In October 2024, the country earned an export income of US$ 2.8 million from vegetables and US$ 3.9 million from fruits, totaling to US$ 6.37 million from the fresh produce sector. 

(NR)