Fruit and vegetable export revenue hits Rs. 4 b

Last year was a good year for fresh and processed fruit and vegetable exports which brought in a revenue of Rs. 4,000 million, said National Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture, Sarath de Silva. He said that 2013 was an encouraging year for the fresh and processed fruit and vegetable export sector which did well despite the recession in the US and European markets.

The fruit and vegetable export sector has enormous potential to be the number one export revenue earner.

Exports to the Maldives which is a key export destination for Sri Lankan fresh fruits and vegetables has been performing well. With political stability now achieved in the Maldives following the recent elections, the economy is stable and all sectors are reviving.

“The Maldives imports a large quantity of Sri Lankan fresh and processed fruits and vegetables for its hotels, the key driver of the country's economy. There is great scope for growth of Sri Lankan fruit and vegetable exports to the Maldives as the new government is keen on expanding the tourism sector,” de Silva said.

The Maldives has around 96 hotels and many more are in the pipeline. Sri Lanka competes with China and India for the Maldivian market.

The demand for local fruits and vegetables is on the rise following the revival of tourism in Sri Lanka which is poised to achieve 2.6 million visitors by 2016.

De Silva said that Sri Lanka should achieve around two million visitors in the next two years. The export sector targets around US$ 15 billion this year, an increase of around 10 percent of last year's target.

Tea export income was around US$ 1.5 billion in 2013. We are targeting around two billion dollars in the mid term. Rubber and coconut exports revenue in 2013 increased by around 10 percent compared to the previous year.“We are hoping to achieve around half-a-billion dollar revenue from subsidiary crops such as spices. The agriculture export sector will do better this year with the Divi Neguma program and the support of the Ministry of Defence in reviving agriculture in the North and the East.

The completion of the Deduru Oya, Maha Oya, and four major irrigation and 40 minor irrigation schemes will bring in around 10,000 hectares of land under the plough,” he said.

With the promotion if import substitution the country will achieve self-sufficiency in rice and maize. Sri Lanka currently produces around 22 percent of the country's needs of soya which will increase to around 50 percent during the Maha season. Around 40 percent of the needs of big onions have been met and with the development of hybrid seeds locally around 75 percent of the country's needs could be met. Onions could be stored for a long period, with the Government renovating abandoned stores.

“Projects have been launched in Mahawewa and Bingiriya to cultivate dried red chillies to meet around 25 percent of the country's needs. Around 590 farmer families will benefit from the projects,” de Silva said.

- LF