RECORD SALT HARVEST IN PUTTALAM AFTER FIVE YEARS

Salt producers say Puttalam has experienced a record salt harvest for the first time in five years, thanks to the dry weather conditions.

They state that the yield could exceed 100,000 metric tons, which would significantly contribute to the country's annual requirement of around 180,000 metric tons.

This marks a major turnaround from previous years, when heavy rains brought the industry to a halt, forcing the government to import salt from India.

Ranis Badurdeen, President of the Puttalam Salt Producers' Association, says their fields alone have produced more than 50,000 metric tons so far.

Producers like S.M. Rizvi have welcomed the good harvest but have also raised concerns about competition from imported salt.

He stated that Sri Lanka could produce all the salt it needs and asked the government to stop imports.

Another producer, Niluk Dilhan, said the country needs to cultivate another 5,000 acres of salt pans to achieve self-sufficiency.