Courtesy Hiru News Employees of Lanka Sugar Private Limited are warning that the local sugar industry is facing a severe crisis and the threat of collapse due to the priority given to imported white sugar. They highlight the critical issue of an inadequate price and insufficient market share for locally produced sugar. Lanka Sugar Private […]

උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර් මුළු රටට ම මාස හතක බරපතළ සහල් හිඟයකට මුහුණදීමට සිදුවන බවට ජාතික ගොවිජන එකමුතුවේ සභාපති අනුරාධ තෙන්නකෝන් මහතා අනතුරු අඟවයි. මාස් කන්නයේ වී වගාව අවස්ථා දෙකක දී ගංවතුරට හසුවීමෙන් සිදු වූ විනාශය සහල් හිඟයට බලපාන බව හෙතෙම කියයි. 2024/25 මාස් කන්නයේ දී හෙක්ටයාර් අට ලක්ෂ පනස්දහසක පමණ වී වගා කළ බව […]

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror Colombo, March 19 (Daily Mirror) – Claiming that the expected paddy harvest this year had diminished by 5 million metric tonnes, Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said yesterday the government may have to import rice again to meet the demand. […]

by Arundathie Abeysinghe Courtesy PIME Asia News A copper and brass factory is contaminating the Kelani River in Pethiyagoda, harming the environment and the health of residents. Sri Lanka’s fourth-largest waterway provides 80 per cent of Colombo’s drinking water. Despite complaints, the factory continues to operate without the necessary environmental licence. Environmentalists complain that the […]

 CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA   Courtesy The Daily Mirror Colombo, Feb 18 (Daily Mirror) – The All Island Canteen and Restaurant Owners’ Association (AICROA) has decided to increase the prices of all canteen and hotel food items from midnight today.   Association Chairman Harshana Rukshan said that the price of a cup of plain tea will increase by […]

Courtesy Hiru News Amid a rice shortage in the market, the private sector has imported 75,000 metric tons of rice following the government’s decision to address the scarcity. According to Sri Lanka Customs, the imports include 32,000 metric tons of raw rice and 43,000 metric tons of Nadu rice. However, consumers report a continued shortage […]

Courtesy Adaderana The newly-appointed Chairman of Lanka Salt Company in Hambantota, T. Nandana Thilaka has urged the public to avoid panic-buying and hoarding salt amidst rumors of a shortage.  Addressing the media after assuming office today (28), Mr. Thilaka clarified that the current salt supply is sufficient to meet household needs in the country. Two […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita Courtesy The Island Pubudu Jayagoda The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday (07) said the government was planning to shut down the state-owned Thriposha Company, and such a course of action would lead to further deteriorate nutritional standards of Sri Lankan children. FSP education Secretary and Colombo District candidate Pubudu Jayagoda said the […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror Colombo, November 7 (Daily Mirror) – The Small and Medium Scale Rice Mill Owners’ Association claimed today that the growing rice shortage in the market is due to increased use of raw rice for beer production. They explained that Nadu paddy, used to make raw rice for brewing, is being diverted […]

by Arundathie Abeysinghe Courtesy PIME Asia News Several samples of a free, ready-to-eat, cereal- and legume-based food meant to “eradicate malnutrition” in Sri Lanka have been recalled. The Health Sciences Institute in Kalutara detected the mycotoxins above permitted levels last August. The lack of suitable storage is among the main causes. Colombo (AsiaNews) – Aflatoxins […]

Courtesy Adaderana The government has announced an increase in taxes on certain imported goods, effective from October 14 to December 31, 2024.  This move comes under the directive of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who also serves as the Minister of Finance. Under the new regulations, a special merchandise tax will apply to several key imports. […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror Colombo, October 7 (Daily Mirror) – After a decrease in tourist arrivals and an excess supply of eggs resulted in a reduction in market prices, the All Island Poultry Farmers’ Association has called for a stabilization of poultry feed prices.  Due to the excess supply of eggs, the market price has […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Public Health Inspectors’ Union has reassured the public that there is no need for undue concern regarding imported coconut oil.  Commenting regarding the rising suspicions surrounding the safety and quality of coconut oil entering Sri Lanka, the Chairman of the Public Health Inspectors’ Union Upul Rohana said: When coconut oil is imported […]

Lankaweb Health This short video clip highlights the utmost importance of preserving the consumption of Coconut oil use in Sri Lanka as opposed to Palm oil, etc.  It benefits were so well explained and pioneered by Prof DP Atukorale’ who was my classmate and Medical School batch mate, many years ago.  Big Pharma and Corporate […]

Courtesy Hiru News Sixteen species of insects, including crickets, locusts and silkworms, have been approved as food in Singapore, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Monday (Jul 8). With immediate effect, SFA will allow the import of insects and insect products belonging to species that have been assessed to be of low regulatory concern,” […]

Inter FoodTech India’s food processing sector is one of the largest in the world and its output is expected to reach $535 Bn by 2025-26. The Food Processing sector in India has a quintessential role in linking Indian farmers to consumers in the domestic and international markets. The food processing industry has a share of […]

CGIAR Initiative on Fruits and Vegetables A balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables is key to preventing malnutrition and diseases worldwide. Yet, globally, fruit and vegetable intake remain far below recommended levels. To effectively bridge this gap, it is important to gather country-specific evidence that can inform the development of targeted interventions.  The CGIAR Research […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Cabinet of Ministers has given its approval to provide 10kg of rice per month for each low-income family for a period of two months. As per the proposal furnished by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, as many as 2.74 million low-income families will benefit from this relief program. These low-income families will be identified […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to import 15,000 tonnes of cashew nuts in shell since the country’s annual requirement of cashew nuts in shell has not been met due to the fact that the crops have not been harvested as expected in the last season.  Joining the Cabinet press conference held […]

Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) handed over a consignment of fifteen thousand (15,000) bottles of drinking water to State Minister of Defence Hon. Premitha Bandara Tennakoon today (Oct 10) at the Ministry of Disaster Management intended to be distributed among flood affected communities in the Galle and […]

Asian News Indian Ocean states say EU is pushing weakest conservation efforts for yellowfin tuna while EU ‘distant fleet’ hoovers up the most fish. The EU has been accused of hypocrisy and neocolonialism” for proposing insufficient measures to tackle overfishing of yellowfin tuna, while being the largest fisher of the prized species in the Indian […]

Courtesy World Food Programme COLOMBO – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over a substantial consignment of 4,700mt of soya beans and maize to Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited, to support the continuation of the Thriposha fortified food programme. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) facilitated the handover at a special event […]

Courtesy Adaderana Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera says the prevailing arid weather has destroyed at least 39,000 acres of paddy land across the country thus far. A comprehensive report on the paddy crop damages is expected to be released in the coming weeks, the lawmaker said further while addressing an event. It is estimated that […]

Courtesy Adaderana The government has slashed the import tax on maize, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says. Accordingly, the import tax of Rs. 75.00 on 1 kilogram of maize has been reduced to Rs. 25.00 with effect from Thursday (Aug. 17). Taking to Twitter, Siyambalapitiya explained that the move aims to bring down the […]

Courtesy Ada Derana The government intends to recultivate 11,000 acres of abandoned paddy lands before the end of this year in a bid to prepare for a potential food crisis, State Minister of Agriculture Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva said. The state minister pointed out that the program for harvesting abandoned paddy lands is being implemented […]

DR. BECCY CORKILL Courtesy IFLScience Using cinnamon in your homebakes? You may be barking up the wrong tree. Cinnamon is synonymous with the Christmas season – in pumpkin spice lattes, dense spice cake, and gooey cinnamon rolls, it is a key staple of the cozy aesthetic that many people fantasize about. So, it may be […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (June 13) strongly denied the claims published in multiple media reports asserting that 7.5 million Sri Lankans were lacking adequate meals. Speaking on the matter, the Additional Secretary of Presidential Secretariat Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena noted that contrary to these reports, the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) […]

Courtesy Adaderana An easy-maintenance water plant gifted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences commenced operations on Monday (12) in Methiakka, Matale, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka revealed. Accordingly, the Embassy noted that through the project, 120,000 litres of ground water will be converted to drinking water, sufficing for a total of 800 villagers in […]

Courtesy Adaderana Food security in Sri Lanka is improving across all provinces, according to the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report jointly carried out in February/March 2023 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).  The report estimates 3.9 million people or 17 percent […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Cabinet of Ministers has given the nod to provide 10kg of rice per month to 850,000 more low-income families in the country. On 16 January 2023, cabinet approval was given to provide 2 million low-income families with a rice quota of 10kg for a two-month period. However, the government has identified that […]