Category: Daily Financial Times

Defence Deputy Minister Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara yesterday said that over 350 kilograms of heroin and crystal methamphetamine (ice) have been found on a local multi-day fishing vessel seized by the Sri Lanka Navy in the deep sea area off the west coast.

He stated that the estimated street value of the seized drugs is close to Rs. 5 billion.

The vessel, along with the suspects on board, has been brought ashore for further investigation by the Navy and the Police Narcotics Bureau.

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (BV CPS) Lanka Ltd., part of Bureau Veritas, has been honoured with the prestigious Gold award under the ‘Environment Friendly Private Institutions’ category at the Presidential Environment Awards 2025, demonstrating remarkable progress from their Silver award achievement last year.

This represents a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental excellence and sustainable business practices. Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services with 1,600 offices and laboratories around the globe.

The award ceremony, held under the esteemed patronage of the President Anura Kumara Disanayake, took place at the BMICH on 23 October. The event brought together the nation’s environmental champions and recognised outstanding contributions to environmental conservation, sustainability, and eco-friendly innovation across various sectors. The gathering also included fellow award recipients and numerous distinguished guests.

The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi, Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, along with senior officials from the Environment Ministry and the Central Environmental Authority.

‘Receiving the Gold Award is an extraordinary honour for Bureau Veritas Lanka and reflects the culmination of our team’s relentless dedication to environmental stewardship,’ said Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services Lanka Ltd., General Manager Sonali Nakandala. ‘This achievement motivates us to continue raising the bar for sustainable business practices in Sri Lanka and inspiring others in the private sector to prioritise environmental responsibility.’

Bureau Veritas Lanka’s Gold award win specifically recognises the company’s leadership in implementing sustainable environmental practices within the private sector. The Presidential Environment Awards 2025 witnessed a total of 132 awards presented to individuals, institutions, and organisations throughout the country, highlighting the competitive nature of the recognition and the high standards required to achieve the Gold award.

As a leading provider of testing, inspection, and certification services in Sri Lanka, Bureau Veritas Lanka continues to demonstrate that environmental responsibility and business excellence go hand in hand. The company’s progression from Silver to Gold exemplifies how sustained commitment to environmental improvement can yield measurable results while setting new benchmarks for corporate environmental stewardship in the country.

The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team for 25 years to win back-to-back World Series titles, coming from behind to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 after extra innings in the deciding seventh game.

Catcher Will Smith’s home run in the top of the 11th inning broke the deadlock at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, and when Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play with the tying run on third base, it sparked wild celebrations.

The National League champions had trailed 3-0 to Bo Bichette’s three-run homer in the third inning, but kept chipping away, and solo homers by Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas levelled the game at 4-4 in the top of the ninth.

The last team to win successive ‘Fall Classics’ were the New York Yankees, who triumphed in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The series had played out against the backdrop of political and trade battles between North America’s neighbours since Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, but it was ultimately the big-spending Dodgers who prevailed against Canada’s only Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise.

Every society depends on two invisible forces: people’s willingness to follow the law and their ability to do so. Taxation sits precisely where these forces meet. Willingness is moral, it comes from a sense of duty, fairness, and trust that paying taxes is part of being a good citizen. Affordability, however, is economic, it depends on whether people and businesses can meet their tax obligations without undermining their basic livelihoods.

In a healthy economy, these two forces reinforce each other. Citizens pay willingly, and governments spend transparently, ensuring a virtuous cycle of trust and responsibility. But in Sri Lanka today, that balance is breaking down. Many citizens, especially youth, freelancers, and small business owners want to comply, but find it increasingly difficult to afford compliance as living costs surge and multiple taxes pile up.

The struggle of the honest taxpayer

Across the country, quiet frustration is growing. Small entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, and salaried workers register with the Inland Revenue Department, file returns, and pay dues only to find that compliance is eating into their survival. The combined weight of income tax, Value Added Tax, Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL), Stamp Duty (SD) and other charges leave little room for savings or reinvestment.

A young entrepreneur earning Rs. 300,000 a month, for instance, may end up contributing 35-40% of income through direct and indirect taxes. What remains barely covers rent, utilities, and daily needs. Faced with such pressure, even honest taxpayers begin to ask: ‘If paying taxes means I can’t survive, what’s the point of staying compliant?’

Fairness is the foundation of compliance

This is not about morality; it’s about limits. Behavioral economics shows that when people perceive unfairness or excessive loss, they withdraw delaying payments, underreporting income, or shifting to the informal sector. The real challenge is not chasing evaders but protecting those who still want to comply.

Tax morale, the inner motivation to do the right thing, depends on fairness. People judge a tax system not only by how much they pay, but by whether it feels reasonable, reciprocal, and transparent. When taxes seem arbitrary or excessive, trust collapses. Compliance then becomes reluctant, driven by fear rather than civic duty.

For years, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has focused mainly on improving willingness to comply through awareness campaigns, digital filing, and enforcement drives. These are important, but they address only half the problem. The other half of affordability remains largely ignored. Even the best systems cannot collect what people simply cannot afford to pay.

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True tax reform isn’t just about better laws or tighter enforcement, it’s about balance. When fairness fuels willingness and opportunity supports ability, compliance stops being a struggle and becomes second nature. That’s when taxation turns from obligation to collaboration and a nation begins to rise together

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Restoring fiscal fairness in Budget 2026

The upcoming 2026 Budget is an opportunity to rebuild this trust. Fiscal policy must now move beyond collection targets and become a tool for economic balance and citizen confidence. A fair tax system should empower people to live, work, and invest, not exhaust them in the process.

The IRD can play a leading role by evolving from a collector to a guardian of fiscal fairness, through the following reforms:

1. Affordability Index: Introduce a dynamic index that regularly reviews how tax policies affect different income groups, adjusting rates and thresholds to keep taxes bearable amid inflation and cost-of-living changes.

2. Real-Time Tax Tracker: Monitor how inflation, wages, and spending patterns influence the effective tax burden. Use this data to guide mid-year policy adjustments that maintain fairness without compromising revenue.

3. Simplified Rules for Small Businesses: Streamline filing systems and introduce a low-compliance-cost regime for freelancers, SMEs, and informal workers using digital pre-filled forms and automatic calculations.

4. Smart Support Systems: Link IRD data with social welfare and business development programs to ensure that tax credits, relief, and exemptions reach those who genuinely need support.

5. Citizen Feedback Channels: Launch structured digital platforms for taxpayers to report issues, suggest reforms, and receive transparent updates on how tax funds are used.

When fairness becomes visible, compliance becomes voluntary. At its heart, Sri Lanka’s tax story is not about defiance, it’s about endurance. Most taxpayers are not unwilling; they are overburdened. The real problem is not attitude, but affordability. With rising living costs, families are struggling to meet their daily needs while still trying to do their civic duty. When policies ignore this reality, compliance becomes a struggle, not a choice. A lasting tax system must do more than enforce rules. It should understand people’s everyday challenges and make paying taxes realistic and affordable. When citizens see that taxes are fair, manageable, and used wisely, their willingness naturally grows.

If the 2026 Budget can ease the pressure on households by keeping tax rates and thresholds unchanged while introducing smarter, data-driven ways to raise revenue, it can rebuild trust without adding new burdens. By using advanced data analytical tools, revenue analysis models, and proven international practices, Sri Lanka can strengthen monitoring, identify leakages, and make better use of the information already available. When people see that the system relies on intelligence rather than intensity and that the government is improving efficiency before increasing taxes, compliance will follow naturally.

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If the 2026 Budget can ease the pressure on households by keeping tax rates and thresholds unchanged while introducing smarter, data-driven ways to raise revenue, it can rebuild trust without adding new burdens

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In the end, true tax reform isn’t just about better laws or tighter enforcement, it’s about balance. When fairness fuels willingness and opportunity supports ability, compliance stops being a struggle and becomes second nature. That’s when taxation turns from obligation to collaboration and a nation begins to rise together.

The Shippers’ Academy Colombo (SAC) has joined with TradeKins Singapore to conduct a free webinar titled ‘Elements of Internal Compliance: Protecting Business, Enabling Growth’ on 5 November from 1.00 p.m. to 1.45 p.m. Singapore Time.

TradeKins, is a Singapore-headquartered advisory firm recognised for its expertise incompliance, governance, and enterprise resilience.

SAC said in today’s fast-changing trade landscape, regulators across the globe are stepping up enforcement of export controls, sanctions, and customs compliance requirements. For businesses, the risks of non-compliance are significant – from loss of business, hefty fines and shipment delays to reputational damage and even loss of export privilege

A robust Internal Compliance Program (ICP) is essential for risk management and growth, promoting efficiency, trust, and adaptability to sanctions and disruptions. This 45-minute webinar provides practical steps, real-world examples, and a case study to strengthen governance, build a compliance culture, and transform risk awareness into strategic advantage with actionable takeaways for compliance resilience.

The webinar will be useful for trade compliance managers, export control officers, legal and risk advisors, and heads of supply chain/logistics; executives aiming to strengthen governance and mitigate reputational, financial, and regulatory risk; and professionals responsible for ensuring operations align with export controls, sanctions, and customs laws.

Does Sri Lanka need a mega refinery in Hambantota? The Government says yes, and there are no known dissenting voices, even from those speaking for the environment and for the birds. I, for one, made the case for a refinery adjacent to the port in Hambantota 15 years ago. The port and the refinery have synergy. Cheap bunkering will make the port attractive. Transport of the refinery’s inputs and outputs will improve the refinery’s business case. So, no dissent on the big question.

Small print in agreements

But questions remain. The terms and conditions of the investment agreement that is to be signed with the Board of Investment requires close examination.

Is there a minimum amount of refined petroleum products that Sri Lanka is obligated to purchase from this refinery: 40%, 30 %or 20% (all numbers mentioned in news reports)? How will the price of the transactions be determined? Is it a take-or-pay arrangement? Is it just for the Sinopec fuel stations or also for Ceypetco and for electricity generation?

Have projections been made whether the demand for refined petroleum products in the country can be matched with supply from the 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) Hambantota refinery and the planned 150,000 bpd from the upgraded Sapugaskanda refinery?

What is the length of the tax holiday that is under discussion? If the Government gets no taxes from the refinery, what benefits will flow to the nation’s economy? Has the loss to the exchequer been calculated?

Foreign investment should add value to the economy in some form. The investment that came to the Katunayake zone created jobs and generated export revenues. The investors brought more than capital; they opened markets and introduced new techniques. The tax breaks were justified because of those benefits. Modern refineries do not create many jobs. The technology transfer is minimal. Ability to attract ships to the Hambantota port through cheap bunkering is the obvious benefit, but does that justify zero tax or long tax holidays?

Are two refineries justified?

Those who care about climate change would have qualms about massive investments in hydrocarbons. The Government has not abandoned the commitment to generate 70% of electricity from renewable sources though the recent Electricity Amendment Act (section 2) diluted the relevant objective somewhat. But even if that is left aside, questions must be asked about whether there will be enough demand to justify the massively increased capacity that will come on stream if the Sapugaskanda upgrade is greenlighted and the Government commits to take 40,000 (20%) to 80,000 barrels (40%) a day from the Sinopec refinery.

All agree that the cost of electricity to businesses and consumers must be brought down. Given the significant potential for wind and solar and the rapidly declining costs of the required equipment, it would be foolish to not increase electricity generated from these sources. But if the Government has committed to take, say, 80,000 barrels a day from Hambantota and 150,000 barrels a day from Sapugaskanda, will the transition to renewables be viable?

Significant investments will be required to develop the transmission network to absorb wind and solar generated electricity. Does the Government plan to export electricity generated from renewables to India while meeting domestic demand using imported fuel? Just because it is refined on Sri Lankan territory, the fact that crude oil must be imported does not change. Or are we planning to attract data centres with cheap renewable-sourced electricity while leaving the rest of the economy dependent on volatile and costly imported hydrocarbon-based electricity?

This is leaving aside the decision to invest in an LNG terminal and possibly purchase LNG from the US, because of the not yet disclosed commitments made to the US in return for the 20% tariff.

It may be said that refined petroleum from the two refineries is intended for use in transportation. But what are the trends in the transportation sector? It is almost universally accepted that public transport should be powered by non-polluting and efficient electricity. Car buyers are voting with their wallets for electric vehicles. Worldwide trends indicate that land transportation powered by electricity will soon overtake the old internal combustion modes. Even with air and sea transportation, progress is being made on the use of hydrogen as motive power.

Has the Government assessed the overall energy demand for the coming decades before promoting these massive projects? The PPP law is still in preparation, but the Public Financial Management Act has specific safeguards against Mattala airport types of investments. Just because foreign investment is involved, we cannot afford to ignore demand projections. The small print in the agreements may still impose unacceptable costs on the economy without commensurate benefits.

Sri Lanka’s seas are generous. From the glittering yellowfin and skipjack that fuel the tuna industry to succulent shrimp and colourful ornamental fish, the island’s marine harvests are a cornerstone of coastal livelihoods and a visible export earner. Yet much of that promise leaks away between the boat and the buyer: fish that spoil before they reach processing, chilled boxes that never arrive, small-scale fishers locked out of premium markets because of paperwork or a missing HACCP certificate. If the island wants fisheries to be a resilient, high-value engine for rural incomes, tackling the cold-storage, freezing and export chain is not optional-it’s urgent.

This article walks through the key problems that hobble Sri Lanka’s fisheries value chain and-critically-details practical, evidence-based ways to fix them. The tone is hopeful but honest: many solutions are low-tech and high-impact, but they require coordination, some investment and a fresh focus on first-mile losses.

What’s at stake: more than fish

Think of the fisheries cold-chain like a leaky pipe. The catch is the inlet; the consumer market is the tap. Every hole in the pipe-bad handling, no ice, unreliable power, poor logistics-wastes the resource and the income tied to it. For smallholders and coastal communities, these losses are the difference between profit and indebtedness. For exporters and the national economy, failing to meet sanitary standards or to maintain product quality means lost contracts, rejected consignments and reputational damage that is hard to repair.

Addressing cold-storage and freezing isn’t just about installing a freezer. It’s about reducing post-harvest loss, unlocking premium markets, making energy use sustainable and creating reliable logistics that respect both the sea and the supermarket shelf.

The main problems – quick tour

1. High post-harvest losses at landing sites and on boats. Fish begin to deteriorate minutes after capture. If fishermen lack ice, insulated containers, or basic handling training, the product’s value drops fast. For multiday fleets that return late or land remote catches, the problem is amplified.

2. Uneven cold-chain infrastructure. Cold stores and IQF (Individual Quick Freeze) facilities are concentrated in urban and port areas. Many landing sites have no pre-coolers, no blast freezers and no easy access to refrigerated transport.

3. Electricity reliability and cost. Refrigeration is hungry for power. Frequent outages, high diesel and electricity costs, and dependence on expensive backup generation make operating cold stores risky and expensive.

4. Fragmented producers and limited access to finance. Small, dispersed fishers and micro-processors lack capital to buy pre-coolers, insulated boxes, or refrigerated vehicles. They struggle to aggregate volume for efficient processing and export.

5. Skills and quality control gaps. Proper chilling, hygienic processing and traceability require trained technicians and managers. Outside the main processing hubs, these skills are in short supply.

6. SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) and certification hurdles. Export markets demand HACCP, traceability and often third-party certifications. Noncompliance can lead to rejections and loss of access to lucrative markets like the EU, US and Japan.

7. Logistics bottlenecks and paperwork delays. Limited refrigerated trucking, port handling inefficiencies and slow documentation processes push up time and cost.

8. Climate and seasonality. Extreme weather, changing fish distribution and seasonal gluts complicate storage and market planning.

Why simple fixes matter: a few real examples

A portable ice machine at a busy landing site can transform incomes overnight. Rather than waiting hours without proper cooling, fishers can ice catch on arrival, reducing bacterial growth and maintaining flesh quality. A small blast freezer in a regional hub allows fillets to be IQF-frozen and packed for export within the critical 24-48 hour window-turning low-value whole fish into higher-margin fillets and value-added products.

Similarly, a cooperative that aggregates catch from ten small landing sites can negotiate a single refrigerated truck to a port, dramatically lowering per-kg transport cost and reducing spoilage that would have occurred if each fisher tried to move product separately.

These aren’t theoretical. Practical investments in first-mile cooling and aggregation regularly show the fastest return on investment in fisheries value-chains worldwide – and Sri Lanka is no different.

How to fix it: a pragmatic roadmap

Below are high-impact interventions arranged by time horizon: quick wins, medium term, and structural changes. Each item is actionable and designed to combine the realities of Sri Lankan fisheries – small boats, seasonal supply, and export standards-with global best practice.

Short-term (0-12 months): plug the biggest leaks

1. Deploy portable icing and pre-cooling units at priority landing sites

Target the highest-loss landing sites first. Portable ice plants, insulated boxes, and solar-powered chillers can be placed quickly.

Pair equipment deployment with training on handling and temperature monitoring.

2. Fund cooperative aggregation hubs

Support fisher cooperatives to lease or co-own refrigerated vans and communal pre-coolers. This reduces per-unit costs and increases bargaining power.

3. HACCP starter packages and rapid training

Offer ‘HACCP starter’ grants or low-cost consultancy for small processors: templates, checklist, and quick certification pathways. Compliance reduces market rejections rapidly.

4. Introduce simple digital traceability pilots

Basic QR-code based logs that record boat, catch time, and chilling start time help buyers trust product origin and handling.

Medium-term (1-3 years): scale and stabilise

1. Build regional cold-storage and IQF hubs

Invest in a handful of strategically placed regional hubs offering blast freezing, filleting and packing services. These hubs should be accessible to clusters of landing sites and connected to main transport corridors.

2. Finance instruments for SMEs

Create leasing schemes or blended finance (donor + commercial) for small processors to obtain IQF freezers, insulated trucks and packaging lines. Consider equipment leasing to lower entry barriers.

3. Improve energy resilience

n Encourage hybrid energy systems (solar + battery + grid) for remote cold stores to reduce fuel costs and improve uptime. Implement energy-efficiency standards for new cold-storage builds.

4. Strengthen refrigerated logistics networks

Incentivise third-party refrigerated trucking through guaranteed contract volumes or tax incentives. Build refrigerated container staging areas at ports to reduce handling time.

Long-term (3-7 years): transform the value chain

1. National traceability and certification framework

Develop a national digital traceability standard and a streamlined pre-export inspection system that is accepted by major markets. This lowers transaction costs for exporters and makes compliance predictable.

2. Value-addition and market diversification

Support entrepreneurs to create shelf-stable or semi-prepared products (e.g., marinated fillets, canned or retort tuna), which reduce cold-chain pressure and open new markets.

3. Climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure

Upgrade landing sites with storm-resilient storage and raised platforms; embed climate risk assessments into port and hub planning.

4. Human capital and vocational training

Institutionalise fisheries cold-chain modules in technical colleges and run on-site apprenticeship programs with processing hubs.

Policy nudges that amplify impact

Governments don’t have to pay for everything. Smart public policy can unlock private capital and encourage good practice.

Targeted subsidies and tax incentives – Offer temporary tax breaks or lower tariffs on refrigeration equipment and components to reduce initial capital costs.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) – Use PPPs to build and operate regional hubs; public funds reduce risk and private operators bring efficiency.

Standards and predictable inspection – Streamline export inspection processes and provide exporters with clear, up-front checklists and fast pre-inspection to reduce delays at the port.

Data and market intelligence – Regularly publish export rejection reasons, market price windows and seasonal forecasts so producers can plan and buyers can trust quality.

A human face: why communities matter

Technical fixes are necessary, but they must be socially inclusive. Many fishers are women or belong to small coastal communities where trust is the currency of cooperation. Successful programs pair hardware (ice machines, freezers) with capacity-building and simple governance rules for cooperatives. Where this social capital exists, investments flow further: higher compliance, better aggregation and ultimately steadier incomes.

Policy should aim to reduce the barriers women face in accessing equipment and credit; many value-chain segments (sorting, packing, ornamental fish breeding) are often female-dominated and respond well to small, targeted finance and training.

Risks and how to manage them

No strategy is risk-free. Here are common pitfalls and mitigations:

Overbuilding at the wrong sites – Don’t place a large IQF plant where supply is inconsistent. Use phased development based on demonstrated aggregation capacity.

Energy cost shocks – Favor energy-efficient systems and consider long-term power purchase agreements or hybrid renewables for remote hubs.

Regulatory complexity – Work with exporters to co-design inspection processes to avoid sudden rule changes that cause shipments to be rejected.

Market demand shifts – Encourage product diversification so the sector isn’t reliant on a single market or product type.

Measuring success: simple indicators

To know whether interventions work, track a few measurable indicators:

Reduction in post-harvest loss percentage at target landing sites.

Number of small producers using aggregation hubs.

Export rejection rates and reasons.

Average time from catch to freezing (hours).

Energy cost per kg of frozen product.

Increase in value per kg for processors (indicating successful value addition).

These metrics are practical, verifiable and directly tied to incomes.

Final word: urgency with common sense

Sri Lanka’s fisheries are at a crossroads. Global demand for responsibly produced, traceable seafood is growing-and buyers are willing to pay a premium for quality and consistency. But premium prices will only flow to producers who can prove cold-chain integrity and sustain it reliably.

Fixing the cold-storage, freezing and export chain is both a technical challenge and a governance puzzle. The good news is that many of the highest-value fixes are straightforward and affordable: better icing, smarter aggregation, a few regional hubs, practical training, and policies that unlock finance. When combined, these steps stop the leaks and turn fish into reliable export revenue, better pay for coastal families and a more resilient sector in the face of climate shocks.

If you’re working on a policy brief, an investment pitch, or a community project, start with a rapid mapping of the worst-loss landing sites and the cooperatives that could act as aggregation anchors-those two pieces alone will tell you where to spend the first ringgit, rupee, or dollar to get the fastest change.

Seafood is perishable, but the opportunity isn’t. With targeted investment, smarter logistics, and people-centred design, Sri Lanka can turn a chain of losses into a chain of added value.

Verité Research, building on its international reputation, strengthened its global presence in October by delivering high-level presentations at over half a dozen international forums and events.

These engagements included a conference by the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington DC, sessions connected to the United Nations General Assembly Meetings in New York, the 8th Global Debt Conference (DebtCon) at the University of Georgetown, sessions connected to the 2025 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC, the Barclays Bank Capital Market Investors Forum and the Devex Impact House sessions.

Engaging in these events over a span of one month, Verité Research also held one-on-one discussions with a number of academics in New York and Washington DC, as well as senior leaders of the World Bank and the IMF. The think tank was represented by two of its Directors, Dr. Nishan de Mel and Inoshini Perera, as well as its Lead Economist Raj Prabu Rajakulendran. Georgetown University Professor Shanta Devarajan, who is a Non-Resident Fellow of Verité Research, also joined some of the high-level engagements.

At the debt conference in Washington DC, Verité Research once again shared the theory and practice of the Governance-Linked Bonds (GLBs) that it designed in 2023, to improve outcomes for all stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring. In the class of sovereign-issued ESG (environmental, social, and governance) bonds, this innovation by Verité Research is the first G-bond to be issued in the world. Verité Research is now engaged in discussion with various organisations to further globalise the issuing of GLBs.

Both in New York and Washington DC, Verité Research also took forward its assistance to other debt distressed countries by engaging with Kenyan organisations in public sessions to further the understanding of how Kenya’s economic difficulties could be better overcome by focusing on improved governance – a position that is being strongly advocated by Verité Research at a global level.

This is part three from our series from the book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben originally published in German as ‘Das geheime Leben der Baume’ in 2015 by Ludwig Verlag, a division of Verlagsgruppe, Random House GmbH, Munchen, Germany. The Hidden Life of Trees was published in the English language in hardback by Greystone Books Ltd. in 2016 in Vancour, Canada. The paperback edition of the book was first published in the United Kingdom by William Collins in 2017.

This series is being created by the Harmony Page of Weekend FT, honouring the national month/s dedicated to reading in Sri Lanka and is to be turned into a training curricula for educational institutions and related institutions.

By Surya Vishwa

The art of survival of a natural forest is not so different from our human world. Lean on me! This is what some trees seem to tell each other in natural forests devoid of human interference. Trees like to keep things simple. They don’t bother to grow large sturdy trunks if they can just cuddle up with their neighbours. Nature is as strict with trees who don’t toe the line, just as karma is with humans who err. Tree karma manifests as splits in wood, in its bark and in the life sustaining layer under the bark, the extremely sensitive layer referred to as cambium.

Like in the human world, trees also realise that being alive is a battle for resources. Amidst the kindness and sharing, there are mini wars fought every day in a natural forests; for water, ground space and sunlight. The powerful fungi can be described as the mediators in forest wars; conciliating and acting as the security forces of the forest; exacting certain costs at most times for their services. For a fee (the exchange of the rich sugary food produced by trees) fungi casts out heavy metals (more harmful to the fungi than the trees) and fight fellow tree intruding fungi and bacteria.

The mighty oak of Europe can be said to have bipolar disorder; they display two distinct personalities; very weak and very strong. There is more life pulsating beneath our feet totalling to multiple planet populations. In a fistful of natural forest soil there thrives more lifeforms than the human populace of this planet.

Spaces that we call natural forests

If we thought that this planet begins and end with us, the book The Hidden Life of Trees make us rethink this pompous falsity. If the next tsunami or earthquake or landslide roars in on us and ends our breath, it would not matter one iota to the natural forests of this earth. They would grow, expand and there would be a burst of tree population across all earth space, where earlier man stood. This whole planet would be a natural forest. But for now we monopolise. Spaces that we call natural forests are a rare phenomenon across the world today.

Last week we stopped at chapter 7 and 8 of The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben where we looked at the prim world of tree etiquette and education with chapter 8 elaborating more of the norms that trees inculcate into their consciousness. It is pointed out that trees ‘learn’ to be tough according to terrain their lot is cast upon. For example, trees that have to wrestle through life on stony or arid slopes adjust to their fate as opposed to their spoilt cousins who have it all good, greedily swallowing buckets of earth water without a care. The author Peter Wohlleben takes the Spruce as an example, looking at the tenacity of this specie when devoid of water.

In chapter 9 titled United we Stand, Divided we Fall, the worldview of the forest as an interconnected life force is looked at, capturing its spirit and essence. The intricate but mass control that fungi wields in the forest is looked at highlighting the partiality of the fungi towards a stable world and thereby acting as the agents of underground peace. Monopoly of one forest specie over others is prevented by fungi as this would cause the forest ‘system’ to collapse. The fungi’s services come at a rather exorbitant cost; the fungi are known to demand upto a third of a tree’s total food production in exchange for their tasks.

The title United we stand, divided we fall, indicates the inter-dependency of the forest species (as in the human world) and the natural disposition of all its beings to ‘pull together’ despite the varying ‘power struggles’ in the game of existence. The animal and insect world are part and parcel of this interconnectedness. The fungi come as last resort saviours to nitrogen lacking trees, releasing a deadly toxin into the soil which is the death sentence to organisms such as springtails. When they choke on these toxins and die they bestow the soil and trees with the nitrogen within their bodies. The other creatures of the wild that call the forest their home also are part of this survival code; for example when bark beetle infest spruce and it look as if the end is imminent for this poor tree soul, then flies in salvation; in the form of a woodpecker. It can match the fast breeding bark beetle with its appetite and beaks out the fat white larvae. If not, the tree will soon be taken over by the bark beetle population, killing it.

The mysteries of moving water

The book notes that the woodpecker is not exactly thinking tree philanthropy or service but rather of its own tummy! This is why it is not so much concerned about whether or not the tree is made dizzy by its bark being thrown around in the woodpecker’s enthusiastic forage process. In chapter 10 under the title The Mysteries of Moving Water the central focus is how water is transported from the soil to the individual leaves of trees. The author goes beyond the accepted answers that revolve around two aspects; capillary action and transpiration. Peter Wohlleben literally breaks down capillary action into coffee froth.

Capillary action is what makes our coffee rise a bit high than the edge of our cup, he notes, adding that the logic that narrower the vessel, the higher the liquid can rise against gravity, serves in the case of trees. Water transmission also occur through transpiration (think perspiration), when leaves transpire by exhaling water vapour. This occurs during warm days when mature trees breathe out gallons of water molecules. These molecules are threaded through the space caused within the leaves by the transpiration endeavour and thereby journey upwards within the tree. Osmosis also is described as another water transporting alterative used by trees through its sugar cells, taking the water right up to its crown.

Water pressure, it is pointed out is highest in trees before the leaves open up in the spring. At this time of the year the water gushes up the trunk in such a force that a stethoscope held against the tree will enable a human to hear it, the author of The Hidden Life of Trees notes.

We will run part 4 of this series next week.

Australian Captain Alyssa Healy was putting on a brave face and trying to remain positive after her side was knocked out of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup by India in a thrilling semi-final on Thursday.

The seven-time World Cup champions looked to be in the box seat when they posted a big total of 338, but India got valuable contributions from key batter Jemimah Rodrigues (127*) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89) as they chased down the victory target with nine deliveries remaining in Navi Mumbai.

It was a bitter pill for Healy to swallow, after the Australian skipper only returned from injury for the semi-final after battling a calf issue in the lead-up to the knockout contest.

The Australian veteran took plenty of positives from the efforts of her side across the tournament and believes the future is bright for the Aussies despite the fact they don’t have an ICC trophy within their grasp.

‘I think we’re playing some unbelievable cricket and that’s why it doesn’t quite feel right sitting here at the losing end, not sort of getting to Sunday’s fixture,’ Healy said after the match.

‘I thought we played really well right throughout this World Cup, and I simply say that because of the different contributions that we had right throughout.

‘It wasn’t just one person making all the runs or taking all the wickets. I think the team contributed equally right throughout, which I think put us in a really nice place heading into this final series.

‘So, I think there’s some huge positives out of it.

‘I think this next four-year cycle leading into the next World Cup is going to be really exciting for our group and potentially see some really cool opportunities for some of the younger players to get greater opportunities in this side, which I think is going to improve the Australian team, which I think is really cool.

‘We just weren’t able to get the job done tonight, which is disappointing.’

Healy confirmed she won’t be a part of Australia’s squad at the next edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, while she remains tight-lipped on whether she would continue on and play a part in the Aussies quest to win back the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup trophy in England and Wales next year.

The Australian Captain, instead, looked at the opportunity to reflect on what went wrong for her side during the tournament, and what can be done better in the lead-up to the next ICC event.