Dr Manoj Thibbotuwawa Shares Insights on Reducing Food Loss in Sri Lanka’s Value Chains

20 May 2026

In the latest episode of the SBS Sinhala podcast, Dr Manoj Thibbotuwawa, Research Fellow and Head of Agriculture and Agribusiness Development Policy Research at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) highlighted food loss reduction pathways in Sri Lanka’s agricultural value chains, drawing on findings from the ACIAR Food Loss Mitigation Research Project. The episode, moderated by Kassapa Senarath of SBS Radio Australia, also featured Prof. Thilak Mallawaarachchi from the University of Queensland.

“Losses observed at the transport and retail stages often begin much earlier at farm-level and accumulate across the value chain,” Dr Thibbotuwawa explained. He emphasised the need to understand food loss not simply as a post-harvest or retail-level issue, but as a value chain-wide coordination challenge that requires integrated solutions.

Dr Thibbotuwawa also discussed research activities and practical solutions piloted under the project, including farmer training on orchard management, improved packaging solutions, a QR-based non-destructive mango maturity identification system to support better harvesting and marketing decisions, and digital platforms that link producers more directly with buyers and consumers.

Project resources: https://farmsmart.lk/