Daily food wastage

• 12-15 MT of produce at Dambulla Economic Centre 
• 25,000 MT of produce at Thambuththegama, Narahenpita, Welisara, and Embilipitiya

The Dambulla Cold Storage Project, initiated to address post-harvest losses and enhance agricultural sustainability, has become a symbol of missed opportunities and unfinished business in Sri Lanka. With insights from key figures involved in the project, it is evident that political shifts and insufficient planning have hampered its progress.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, who initiated the project under his ministry during the Yahapalana Government, highlighted the alarming post-harvest losses in Sri Lanka, estimated at around 35-40%. The primary reason behind these losses is the inability of farmers to store their produce adequately. 

The project aimed to create a 5,000 MT temperature and humidity-controlled warehouse in Dambulla’s heart, near the main wholesale market. This warehouse would have housed six chambers, each simulating different climatic conditions, to facilitate research on the optimal storage methods for various crops.

“This is a tragedy, because there is a massive post-harvest loss and there have been more than a dozen studies done and these figures are somewhere around 35-40%. One of the reasons is the inability of farmers to store their harvest in appropriate conditions. Some products can be kept for longer than others. The idea was to launch a pilot project to see how best we could store agricultural produce in different climatic conditions. 

“The plan was to build a temperature and humidity-controlled warehouse in Dambulla, since that is where the main wholesale market is and farmers bring their produce there. We wanted to have six different chambers in this 5,000 MT warehouse where we could check under different conditions and research and figure out the best way to store the different kinds of produce. We had lots of technical experts working on it – professors in agriculture from different universities and so on,” de Silva said. 

A novel technique

De Silva detailed how the project had employed innovative, cost-effective construction techniques, which had significantly reduced expenses. 

“Various people had started these types of projects in the past, but what they had done is spend money to buy land. It’s all a business of buying land and putting up buildings. We found unused land of the Urban Development Authority near the market, which they let us use to set up this facility. We obtained a grant of Rs. 300 million at the time from the Government of India and our ministry put in Rs. 225 million. 

“It was actually a new technique of building the warehouse, a new technology being used in India, which cut costs by half. There are no concrete columns; instead, you just install the racks and on the racks you install the BUF panels and the roof. It cuts costs by half.” 

The initiative had commenced in 2018 but had encountered delays due to political changes, including a coup. Despite these challenges, work resumed under Dr. de Silva’s leadership in April. However, the Government that followed halted the project.

“Once we got back into office, we restarted it on 1 April; we laid the foundation stone and got it going. However, we couldn’t complete it by October, which was our plan, and there was a little bit of work left to do.

“All the material that was necessary for the construction was brought and stored in a warehouse not even a kilometre from the site. But when the Gotabaya Government came in, it stopped it. It stopped the Shakthi programme – the rice millers’ cooperative that I started. It was purely a political decision. I pleaded with the Government not to stop it. The only thing it didn’t stop was Suwaseriya, because if the Government did that, it would have got in trouble. But everything else I started, the Government stopped. 

“There were a lot of people who didn’t want these two projects to go ahead, particularly the political establishment, the Local Government, and various parties who have been running this operation with profits. Also, the traders would rather throw the farmers under the bus and buy the produce at dirt-cheap prices. Additionally, there are some private warehouses where some imported produce is stored, which run operations on their own, but they aren’t available to the average farmer.”

Dr. de Silva’s advocacy for the Dambulla Cold Storage Project extended to various platforms. He voiced his concerns in Parliament, highlighting the importance of the initiative in curbing post-harvest losses and bolstering the agricultural sector. Additionally, he reached out to the Indian High Commission and engaged with the project’s contractors, determined to find a solution to the prolonged delay.

“When this stopped, I kept going to the Government and urging it to finish it. The Indian High Commission reached out to me desperately. I spoke about it in Parliament and at one point I told Minister Bandula Gunawardana that I would come to the ministry, sit with them, share everything I know about it, and help get this going. 

“Now it is three-and-a-half years since it stopped. I have been speaking with the High Commission and others, including the contractor who came recently. Now they are saying they will expedite it after things got out of control for the Government and everyone started talking about it. I’m hopeful that it will get done and I’m pushing for this to be completed.” 

Dambulla doesn’t need cold storage

National Farmers’ Collective President Anuruddha Tennakoon raised concerns about the project’s lack of feasibility studies and questioned its target beneficiaries. He argued that Dambulla’s Economic Centre, a wholesale distribution point, did not require cold storage, stating that such facilities were needed at collection points instead. 

Tennakoon expressed disappointment that the international grant allocated for the project had gone to waste. “This project was initiated without any feasibility study being carried out. There was no programme to decide whom this project would benefit – the farmer or the Dambulla Economic Centre. It is now at a standstill and no one is benefiting.

“The Dambulla Economic Centre is a place where vegetables are sold on a wholesale basis by farmers to traders, who distribute it to the rest of the country. No cold storage is needed. A cold storage is needed where there are collecting points such as in Welimada, where produce is stored before being transported to economic centres. Nuwara Eliya, Bandarawela, and Keppetipola are other such areas. 

“This project yielded nothing. Instead, the project was done for the sake of it. While the Yahapalana Government at least initiated this project, once the Government changed, the project was completely shut down. Now it is rotting and falling apart. This has not been taken up by the current relevant authorities or the Government. The international grant we received has completely gone to waste.”

He emphasised the critical issue of post-harvest wastage, estimating that 12-15 MT of produce was lost daily at the Dambulla Economic Centre. Nationally, approximately 25,000 MT of produce is wasted daily across various economic centres.

“What should be done is to introduce value-added products for products that go to waste and dehydration systems. That is what will benefit the Dambulla Economic Centre more than a cool room because then the produce doesn’t go to waste and the farmer also profits.” 

The Dambulla Cold Storage Project exemplifies the challenges of continuity in Sri Lanka’s development initiatives, with political transitions causing disruptions and delays. The debate over its effectiveness highlights the importance of thorough planning and feasibility studies in such endeavours. Addressing post-harvest losses and creating sustainable agricultural practices remain urgent goals and completing projects like this could play a crucial role in achieving them.