Horticulture exports from Sri Lanka are at a low level at present and measures are needed to increase output as there is a healthy demand in the global market, Director, Ramya Horticulture (Pvt.) Ltd., Thushari Weerakoon said.
“The country has been exporting horticulture related products for the past 25 years. However, the industry has not seen growth due to many reasons. Other countries who emerged as horticulture exporters much later than us have achieved better results and there is strong competition in the global market at present. Therefore, Sri Lanka needs to improve on the supply chain and be more proactive to gain a sizable market share,” she said.
“The producers find it difficult to adhere to the outdated legislation, especially with regard to quarantine measures. It is necessary to update the laws and create enabling environment for the industrialists to take advantage of global demand. It is also important to have a national policy on horticulture to develop the sector. These initiatives will augur well for the local horticulture industry,” she said.
The industry stakeholders should look at having new varieties to meet the growing demand as all the companies engaged in horticulture are producing similar outputs at present. This will not give competitive prices in the global market and there is competition within the industry.
This should be avoided and the government should support the industry by way of providing more benefits. The horticulture industry has not been modernised currently and it is essential that industry to be infused with modern technology to gain competitive edge. The labour shortage issue is also hampering the progress of the horticulture industry and this needs attention for the industry to move forward. The use of fertilizer should be given careful consideration and alternative fertiliser needs to be introduced instead of the hazardous chemicals that are in use, she said.