Sri Lanka, May 19 -- While the authorities are struggling to cope with a huge salt shortage in the country more than 15,000 metric tons of harvested salt intended for collection have been washed away due to sudden heavy rains, according to salt producers in Puttalam.

They state that the ongoing salt shortage across the country is primarily due to the continuous rainfall and the lack of sufficient sunlight needed for proper salt production.

Puttalam contributes approximately 60% of Sri Lanka's total salt production. During favourable sunny periods, both private and state-run salt production facilities have managed to yield harvests exceeding 100,000 metric tons.

However, the persistent rainy weather has severely disrupted salt producti...