'Economic disparity has to be removed'

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

Sri Lanka will be the 'Wonder of Asia' only when the economic disparity is removed. Therefore, the MacDonald Burger theory must be applied to all imported food items, Mawbima Lanka Foundation, Chairman Ariyaseela Wickramanayake told Daily News Business.

He said that the price of a Macdonald burger is equivalent to Rs.350 all over the world and that is the right economic theory. But some milk exporting countries sell their excess milk products to Sri Lanka at lesser prices than the cost of production as a trick , because they have excess stocks. Sri Lanka imports US D 300 m worth of milk products from them, without encouraging the local dairy farmer.

This is called economic terrorism which has been existing for the last 60 years and the Government has to fight this as well to be the Wonder of Asia.

Wickramanayake said that food security is of great importance and it can be gained only by applying the MacDonald theory to imported food products. If local diary farmers get a better price they will produce more, saving foreign exchange and creating more employment opportunities to local people.