Sri Lanka incurs annual loss of around Rs. 20 bn due to crop damage by animals - survey

Sri Lanka incurs an annual loss between Rs. 17 - 20 billion owing to crop damage caused by animals, according to a survey carried out by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI).

Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, who expressed this, also pointed out that more than 31,000 metric tons of vegetables and fruits harvest is lost each year due to damage by wild animals.

Nevertheless, the minister claimed that all strategies implemented so far in order to prevent crop damage from wild animals have failed.

In addition, it is also stated that the amount of coconuts destroyed by monkeys during the year 2022 exceeds 200 million.