Low veggie prices for festive season

Irangika Range

On the directives of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando, 50 Lanka Sathosa outlets in the Colombo district have begun selling vegetables at prices lower than in the regular market price, from yesterday.

“The number of Lanka Sathosa outlets would be further expanded with immediate effect, allowing consumers to purchase vegetables at concessionary rates to fulfill the increasing local demand during the festive season,” Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

Lanka Sathosa outlets situated on the Colombo-Kandy road upto Kadawatha, Colombo-Negombo road, the Colombo-Homagama road and Colombo to Kalutara on the Galle Road have commenced selling vegetables at lower than market prices.

This would help to combat moves by middlemen to increase vegetable prices unreasonably. Under the first stage of this programme, excess produce of vegetables have been purchased directly from the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre (DEC)and sold at concessionary prices at about 30 selected Lanka Sathosa outlets in Colombo and suburbs as a pilot project. The project would be further expanded following its success,” the minister said.

Lanka Sathosa has already purchased 12,830 kilogramms of surplus vegetables from farmers at the Dambulla DEC.

The minister said this move had been taken to curtail the escalating prices of vegetables. He said that initially 12 varieties of vegetables are being sold at concessionary rates through the Lanka Sathosa outlets.

The prices of vegetables at Lanka Sathosa have been reduced lower than the retail prices at the Manning Market. For example the price of green chillies, bitter gourd, ash plantain, wing beans, carrots, beetroot, pumpkin, kekiri, brinjals, beans, tomatoes, and cucumber are sold at Rs 135, Rs.50, Rs.60, Rs.45, Rs.100, Rs.55, Rs.30, Rs.25, Rs.30, Rs.60, Rs.55 and Rs.20 a kg respectively at the Lanka Sathosa.