Sri Lanka, April 28 -- Sri Lanka is at risk of a serious seed shortage in the future due to heavy reliance on imports and global political instability Chairman of the National Farmers' Union Anuradha Tennakoon has warned.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror Tennakoon said that, around 92% of the country's vegetable and fruit seeds are currently imported, a sharp increase from 80% a few years ago.

"Seeds for upcountry vegetable cultivation are mainly imported from countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, and claimed that there is no proper system in place to check their quality," he added.

Tennakoon further said that a monopoly in the private sector has led to a rapid increase in seed prices, creating a crisis in the cultivation of crops such ...