Will the government close the Post-Harvest Management Institute? What is the function of the Post-Harvest Management Institute?

The National Post Harvest Management Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture is located in Anuradhapura city.

The current chairman of the Post-Harvest Management Institute, Mr. Rohitha Prasantha, expressed his views on what service the Post Harvest Management Institute provides to the country.

The institute was established under the name Post Harvest Technology, and this year marks twenty-five years since its inception. It was started in the year 2000. Although the institute began under that name at that time, its history is much longer than that. In 1946, it was first established as the Rice Processing Research Center, which was the main research institute of the Paddy Marketing Board. Even now, there hasn't been a research institute in Sri Lanka focused on post-harvest matters and rice and grains. There isn't one yet. After the Paddy Marketing Board was closed down in 2000, this institute continued to carry on its functions without being shut down. The institute is used to conduct research not only on rice and grains, but also on vegetables, fruits, and crop varieties. Under the institute's leadership, conducting research, research carried out to minimize post-harvest losses, and producing new food products - nutritious food production - are our responsibilities. Another thing is that we conduct training programs. We hold special training programs for university students and for those who show interest in this field. We provide the things we have discovered, new research methods, and global agricultural knowledge. In addition to this, we create entrepreneurs. In connection with the main institute, we maintain extension services in different cities. We maintain institutes in the cities of Jaffna, Ampara, Kurunegala, Kandy, and Hambantota. Through these, we have created many new entrepreneurs.

Through our institute, we have reduced post-harvest losses in the country. We have reduced the losses, which were around 30%, to between 15% - 20%. Through this service, we have saved the country approximately thirty-two million rupees per year.

Under the theme 'A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life', we started a program called 'Aswennata Arunellak' under the title 'Eka Mitata – Govi Bimata'. Under this, we are creating another 1000 entrepreneurs. Similarly, we have an internationally quality-certified laboratory. Through that, we can test the quality of any food item and provide an ISO standard certificate. These views were expressed by Mr. Rohitha Prasantha, Chairman of the National Post Harvest Management Institute.

A large number of students regularly engage in study activities at this institute. For this purpose, laboratories and raw materials are provided by the institute, and a good understanding of both traditional methods and new technology can be gained.

Especially through the creation of new entrepreneurs, the country's production can be developed to export standards, and in every such instance, the Post Harvest Management Institute stands up for the entrepreneur.

The professor stated that due to the government's decline in recent times, the current government is prepared to make a decision to close down this Post-Harvest Management Institute. The current government does not express any agreement whatsoever to maintain institutes that are operating at a loss. Therefore, the new chairman and governing authority are working very diligently to develop these institutes. However, the Ministry of Agriculture has also focused attention on utilizing such institutes for the country's food security, whether through restructuring or otherwise. Discussions are being held these days on how the Post Harvest Management Institute should be utilized for food security, which is the primary function of the Ministry of Agriculture. Everyone's opinion is that all decisions will be made optimistically, considering the safety of the country's farming community and food consumers as well as the country's future.