|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 16 June 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Business | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Dambulla Economic Centre nets Rs. 1 million daily From Shirajiv Sirimane in Dambulla The Dambulla Economic Centre, the main trading hub for fruits and vegetables in Sri Lanka transacts business to the value of over Rs. one million daily. The centre set up in the heart of Dambulla by the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon four years ago, has increased trading after the opening the North-East for business. Fruits and vegetables produced in the North-East are now being traded at this centre. According to an official of the Dambulla Merchants Society over 200 lorries leave for Colombo daily while nearly 100 lorries carrying fruits and vegetables come to Dambulla from Nuwara Eliya and the North-East. "A few years ago upcountry vegetables were transported directly to Colombo. However with the opening of the Economic Centre traders found it more convenient to sell their produce at Dambulla as it saved transport costs and other expenses while transporting to Colombo," the official said. Vegetables from the North-East are also being sold at Dambulla bringing additional revenue to the traders at the centre. "This is a new trend," he said. The centre with 143 stalls opens at 4 p.m. daily for business and is open till dawn. Even the Banks are open in the night and the centre has created direct and indirect employment facilities for nearly 2,000. Before the centre was set up trading was done on the Colombo-Anuradhapura main road which caused severe inconvenience to the public. Former Speaker K. B. Ratnayake had first pointed this out to MP Tennakoon who took action to set up this centre in the heart of Dambulla. One of the main problems faced by traders is the lack of advanced technology when transporting fruits and vegetables to Colombo. "Over 30 percent of vegetables perish on the way and this has resulted in the trader offering a lower price to the farmer and a higher price in Pettah," D. Samarawickrama, a leading trader at the Economic Centre said. Plastic crates are now being introduced and this would help solve the problem to some extent. However, traders still prefer the gunny bags since the cost is less. He said that many appeals have been made to extend the railway track from Kekirawa. "If a night or an early morning train can be introduced it will reduce overall prices of vegetables in Sri Lanka since it would reduce the waste and the price could be lowered. This is a timely suggestion since Dambulla is the most important vegetable trading hub in Sri Lanka. It is the Dambulla trader who decides on the price of vegetables for the entire country," he said. The bunded water at the Kandalama tank is not adequate for paddy cultivation for both seasons. Many farmers grow onions or sweet potatoes (Batala) for the other season which has resulted in a drop of paddy cultivation. Due to this problem the Chena cultivation too has reduced. Over 80 percent of the population in Dambulla depend on Agriculture for a living. With the opening of the Economic Centre, cricket stadium and top hotels such as Kandalama, Sigiriya Village, Culture Club, Sigiriya hotel and Elephant Corridor, land and labour charges have soared by over 90 percent. This has also increased the labour charges from around one hundred rupees a few years ago to Rs. 400. To overcome the high labour charges workmen and women are brought from the North-East areas during harvesting time. Another reason for the high labour costs is the increasing hotel employment. Kandalama hotel which celebrated its tenth anniversary this month employs over 60 percent of their staff from the area. Assistant General Manger of Kandalama, Ravi Kurukulasuriya said that they used to employ over 85 percent earlier. "However most of them leave for the Middle East. "This we encourage since it is good for the community," he said. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
