Salt imports cause delays as container backlog grows to 2,500

By Poojathmi Rivithma

Colombo, June 26 (Daily Mirror) - The Sri Lanka Customs announced that delays in clearing cargo, mainly due to a spike in salt imports, are increasing as daily container arrivals have risen from 1,200 to 2,500.

Additional Director of Customs, Seevali Arukgoda said that 60% of the containers are not inspected, while 40% are being checked.

He added that at least 20% should be thoroughly inspected to ensure consumer safety.

However, salt containers require SLS certification, which takes around five days, causing futher delays in clearing other cargo.

Arukgoda also noted that several containers of salt have already been rejected for failing to meet quality standards.