Big onion purchasing programme begins

Govt assures best price for farmers:

Irangika Range

The Government has initiated big onion purchasing programme across the country to give better price for farmers.

Trade, Marking Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Services Minister Bandula Gunawardena told the Daily News that the first stock of big onions cultivated in Thalawa, Anuradhapura was purchased by the Sri Lanka Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited (Markfed).

The Minister said the big onion farmers were exploited by middlemen by giving meagre prices for their harvest. Farmers sell a kilo of a big onion less than Rs. 24 currently and their income has gone down due to this reason. The Markfed purchases a kilo of big onion at Rs. 40 and at Rs. 35 according to their sizes.

The federation is ready to purchase high quality big onions of countrywide farmers under these prices.

These purchased big onions will be provided to consumers at a concessionary rate by the Markfed through islandwide Lak Sathosa branches, Co-operatives and Co-op cities. The Government has taken a number of measures to protect big onion farmers. "We have imposed a tax amounting at Rs. 20 per kilo for imported big onion.

This Big onion purchasing programme is expected to be launched in the Dambulla area soon.