The storage facilities are owned by the government's Food Department under the purview of the Food Commissioner and is of acceptable standards. Storage facilities are available island wide. Buildings and premises are in good and secure conditions and ideal for storage of both bagged commodities and commodities in different packages including canned products.  Colombo storage facilities are available at Orugodawatte.

The central food warehouses used for the storage of WFP commodities are located in Orugodawatte in Colombo area, and all commodities are dispatched to the regions/districts from here. Warehouses can be reached by any type of truck, including 40’- 45’container flatbed trucks. All of the Regional/district warehouse facilities too belong to the Government and managed by the respective District Secretaries.

Port storage is available but under control of the port authorities. Although logistically and cost effectively not recommended, intermediate storage at the port is possible. Storage of wheat grain in bulk is possible at Trincomalee flourmill in silos. There is sufficient silo storage available for wheat grain storage.

For more information on storage company contact details, please see the following link: 4.6 Storage and Milling Companies Contact List.

Commercial Storage

https://courier.lk/resources/warehousing-services-in-sri-lanka

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Public Sector Storage

United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team

At the request of the government affected by a disaster, OCHA may dispatch a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team (UNDAC) to the country within 12 to 48 hours after a sudden-onset disaster to provide technical services, principally in tasks such as damage and needs assessment, on-site coordination and information management. UNDAC teams aim to facilitate close links between country-level, regional and international response efforts. When deemed appropriate, the United Nations may also set up an On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) to help local authorities in a disaster-affected country to coordinate international relief.

Cluster System

In addition, OCHA has established a structure of clusters as a way for UN agencies to work together with non-UN agencies (f. ex. NGOs) to deliver humanitarian assistance in a coordinated fashion. There are eleven different clusters, each one focusing on a specific set of tasks or functions. Each cluster is headed by one or two UN organizations or agencies. Both the UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) team and the OCHA clusters coordinate their efforts with the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country affected by the disaster.

Storage

Food and non-food items which includes relief Items including hygiene and sanitary, storage equipment including mobile storage units, medical and basic needs items.

http://www.un-spider.org

Cold Chain

Absence of a cold chain management system and limited facilities for value adding activities along logistics corridors and in the regions diminishes opportunities for export expansion. Existing cold storage facilities are insufficient for fisheries products and there are no major cold storage facilities in the country for perishables storage in key locations at the regional level, which leads to high postharvest losses: approximately 30% loss of fresh produce and 60% of export products. Assuring consistent temperature as a product moves through the value chain or during its transportation is a fundamental part of ensuring basic health and safety as well as compliance with international regulations. Without reliable temperature-controlled facilities and appropriate value adding services along logistics corridors, it will be impossible to increase exports for sectors that require special conditions for storage and transportation. High capital expenditure is required to develop these kinds of facilities. They are required in the Northern Province, North Central Province, Eastern Province, Central Province and Southern and Sabaragamuwa regional centres. A proper supply chain study is important to identify volumes and the best locations to set up facilities to collect perishable items for storage and processing. In addition, there is very limited land provided by the Government for lease to develop these facilities (99-year lease model at a discount rate) and no targeted incentives to drive development of such facilities. A public–private partnership or build-operate-transfer (BOT) model is needed. BOI (Board of Investment) does not have clear direction on the provision of such a support mechanism from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), even though the lack of cold chain facilities is a public utility and health issue.

Note: Mr. Desmond Sias General Manager – Sisilco Cold Rooms

Telephone: 94112 949 872.

[1] Cold Room Positive, Cold Room Negative, Refrigerator, Freezer,

[2] Compression, Absorption, Solar, Other, unspecified