Lanka Sathosa has clarified that no round measurement is taken when purchasing big onions through its collection centers.
Head of the quality assurance division, Lahiru Samanga, said that officials do not measure the size of onions and instead inspect them visually during the purchasing process.
The state-run retail chain recently began buying big onions from farmers to address difficulties they faced in selling their harvest. However, the program included 17 conditions, one of which stated that onion bulbs should have a diameter between 35mm and 65mm, and that one kilogram should contain around eight bulbs.
Many farmers opposed these conditions, claiming that their harvest did not meet the specified standards.
In response, Sathosa officials explained that no onion consignments were rejected based on size.
“There were reports saying we measure the onions, but that’s incorrect. Our standards only mention diameter — meaning the width of a cross-section of the bulb — not any round measurement. However, in practice, our officers only inspect visually. No purchases have been rejected based on size at any collection center,” Samanga said.
