Due to poor supply chain management:

Almost 40% food produce goes waste

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

Rohantha Athukorala and Danesha Perera

Almost 40% of food produce gets wasted due to poor supply chain management in Sri Lanka and it is the duty of institutes such as ISMM to drive this concept to the SME sector that accounts for over 75% of the economy and over 80% to the exports of the country, business expert Rohantha Athukorala said recently addressing the Institute of Supply Chain and Material Management (ISMM).

Athukorala quoting the latest research done in Harvard University said that by 2050 there will be almost nine billion people in the world but the resources that will be available will be more or less the same. There has been evidence to demonstrate that there is a strong positive correlation between supply chain management and a country achieving food security. The logic being that there are three concepts to supply chain management availability (at location when items are demanded), access (being able to offer that supply) and stability (access to sufficient food). These concepts highlight the importance of supply chain management.

Athukorala said that with the science of supply chain management cascaded at University level and in the North and the East which are essentially agriculture based, Sri Lanka can avoid any food security issues in the future given that it is these youth that will be taking up key positions in the private and public sector corporations.

He also said that while a focused approach is pursued, an institute of the calibre of ISMM must stage an international conference on a theme such as food security via SCM so that Sri Lanka can attract a new segment of people from overseas and thereby showcase the country. This should be the duty of any institute, he said, given the challenges that the country is faced with globally. He also said that taking the high ground on supply chain issues is good for the institute as it helps Sri Lanka be identified as a country that drives best practices in the region.

ISMM President Danesha Perera said that the institute invites key personalities from other professions to share new thoughts to the membership so that it helps to get new ideas and also perform better in office.