Cheap vegetables from Lanka Sathosa outlets

Irangika Range

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

"The number of Lanka Sathosa outlets would be further expanded with immediate effect, allowing consumers to purchase vegetables at

concessionary rates," Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

Sathosa outlets situated on Colombo-Kandy road upto Kadawatha, Colombo-Negambo 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 in the market.

Under the first stage of this programme, vegetables are to be purchased directly from farmer associations in Hambantota, Nuwara Eliya, Dambulla, Tambuttegama areas and would be sold at concessionary prices at about 100 selected Lanka Sathosa outlets in Matara, Kalutara, Gampaha and Colombo as a pilot project. The Minister said that this move had been taken to curtail the escalating prices of vegetables in the country.

He said that initially seventeen varieties of vegetables would be sold at a concessionary rate through the Lak Sathosa outlets.

Vegetables such as pumpkin, brinjal, snake gourd, beans, carrots, tomatoes, capsicum, green chili, bitter gourd, sweet potatoes, beet root, lemon, cucumber, ash plantain, manioc, wing beans and long beans were being sold at cheaper rates through the Lak Sathosa outlets currently.