DECs go North-East

Irangika Range

The Government will set up four Dedicated Economic Centers (DECs) in Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Medawachchiya and Jaffna within this year to provide essential commodities to the people in the North and the East at concessionary rates.

Addressing a media-briefing in Colombo yesterday, Trade, Marketing Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Services Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that four DECs would facilitate to uplift the living standards of Northern and Eastern farmers by resolving their marketing problems. ”We have planned to open four DECs shortly under the Uthuru Vasanthaya to provide reliefs to both consumers as well as farmers,” the Minister said.

It has also become inevitable to ensure economic development in these regions by launching such projects,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, steps have already been taken by the Government to set up 30 Mini Coop-cities, nine Lak Sathosa branches, five showrooms of Sri Lanka State Trade (General) Cooperation, five Osu Sala branches and five bakeries under the Uthuru Vasanthaya program.

”We expect to open all these institutions before the end of this month,” the Minister further said. There is a large stock of various agricultural products cultivated in the North and the East. This produce cannot be sold due to the lack of an effective marketing system.

Minister Gunawardena said that the Government has realized these marketing problems faced by the farmers. It has made arrangements to overcome these marketing problems and provide fare price to the agricultural products of farmers in the future, the Minister said.

Therefore, the establishment of these DECs would vastly benefit to the farmers in the North and East. It would also help to bring down the wholesale and retails prices of goods in the market.