Sri Lanka, Nov. 6 -- Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe yesterday said that Lanka Sathosa has purchased over 70,000 kilograms of big onions from farmers as of Tuesday (November 4), and the private sector has also purchased significant quantities.

However,the Minister said that local big onion production this year has reportedly quadrupled compared to last year. "To provide relief to local big onion farmers, the import tax on big onions has been raised from Rs.10 to Rs.50 per kilogram," he said.

The Minister stated that the country requires 300,000 metric tonnes of big onions annually for public consumption. In September, 7,000 metric tonnes were imported, followed by 12,000 metric t...