Transport of vegetables, fruits:

Containers made compulsory

Chaminda PERERA

In a bid to minimize the wastage in transport the Government has made the use of containers compulsory for the transport of vegetables and fruits from the farmers to the market immediately. The weight of each container should not exceed 25 kg.

The Government has ordered traders, distributors, transporters to ensure that containers made of plastic, wood or hard paper be used for collecting, storing, displaying and selling vegetables or fruits in the country.

An Extraordinary Gazzette Notification under the hand of Consumer Affairs Authority Chairman Rumy Marzook was issued on January 10 to this effect.

The Consumer Affairs Authority will take action against those who do not comply with these directives from February 01 and farmers can purchase their container requirement from the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre. This decision came in the wake of reports that over 20 percent of vegetables and fruits coming to the Manning Market and other Economic Centres goes to waste due to inefficient transport practices.

Vegetable distributors and traders are in the practice of stacking one gunny of vegetables upon the other and squeezing them in a small lorry. A significant percentage of vegetables and fruits that arrive in the market is spoiled as they are ferried under conditions of heavy pressure. According to Trade and Cooperatives Minister Johnston Fernando, the Government has already distributed more than 90,000 plastic containers among farmers, traders and transporters at concessionary rate.