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New agricultural economic centre opened in Norochcholai

The Government hopes to set up a network of 100 agricultural economic centres to enable farmers countrywide to find local and foreign markets for their produce and earn a better living said Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Cooperative Development Minister D.M. Jayaratne when he opened a modern well equipped agricultural economic centre at Norochcholai, Puttalam on November 26.

The Minister said a program to find international markets for the produce of local farmers has now gained the governments attention. This program will lay special emphasis on areas having a high level of agricultural activity.

He said the Ministry had already planned to develop Kalpitiya as an agricultural export village.

The area is already exporting about 6000 kilos of vegetables and fruits and they hoped to increase it to 25,000 metric tons within the next three years.

Meanwhile an Agriculture Ministry release said Kalpitiya was an important agricultural area where farmers were engaged in the cultivation of onions, chillies and vegetables on nearly 7,000 acres at present. A large number of wholesale traders from other parts of the country visit Kalpitiya daily to purchase the produce of farmers.

Since the old market building at Norochcholai lacked sufficient space to cater to the flourishing trade the Ministry built the new agricultural economic centre at a cost of Rs. 450 million to boost the trade and improve the lot of the farmers. The new centre had 61 trade stalls, a vehicle park, water and electricity facilities, sleeping berths, rest halls a vegetable processing unit and all other modern facilities needed by an economic centre.

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