September 29, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s long-standing fortified food programme has faced a temporary setback, with the production of Thriposha—a nutritional supplement distributed to pregnant mothers and young children—coming to a standstill due to a shortage of key raw materials.
Officials from Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited confirmed that manufacturing was suspended on September 21 after supplies of maize, a primary ingredient in the supplement, ran out. The shortage has been attributed to delays in securing import approval for new stocks.
Although Cabinet authorisation had previously been granted to bring in 18,000 metric tonnes of maize specifically for Thriposha production, the process hit a bureaucratic hurdle when the Controller General of Imports and Exports introduced revisions to the approved conditions. As a result, the planned import has been paused pending further governmental review.
Amal Attanayake, Chairman of Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited, explained that a revised Cabinet paper incorporating the proposed amendments is due to be submitted for consideration on October 07.
Production is expected to resume soon after, provided approval is granted and imports proceed without further interruption.
