Lessons of the recent floods

By Sarath Fernando What lessons can we learn from the recent floods in Sri Lanka? Severe damage has been caused to agriculture and land in over 11 districts. Over a million people have been affected. Many houses have come down; many earth slips have killed many people. The heavy rains came at the time when paddy was flowering and the crop losses would be very heavy. Reduced yields would lead to very high increase in food prices and would create food shortages. The international situation is not helpful either and dependence on imports is risky. Price increases in the essential foods have been serious already and further increases would be unbearable....

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Posted in floods , natural disaster

Sri Lanka bans use of gunny bags in transportation of vegetables

(January 14, 2011) Sri Lanka Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade has issued a gazette notification directing the transporters of vegetables to use plastic crates or any other proper method in transportation of vegetables. The Ministry has given a grace period of one month to adjust to the new method. The Ministry Secretary Sunil Sirisena says that the offending transporters will be brought to book after this period. Consumer Affairs Authority has been assigned for the task, he says. The Ministry says that improper practices used in transporting vegetables cause loss of produce. However, the traders say that the use of plastic crates cost space and the transport costs will go up since less amount of vegetables can be transported than in the loeeies filled in with gunny bags. ...

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Posted in food , transport , vegetable

Sri Lanka government to amend Irrigation Ordinance

(January 13, 2011) Sri Lanka Minister of Irrigation and Water Management Nimal Siripala de Silva says that the Irrigation Ordinance will be soon amended to enable to cope with the current and future needs. A committee had been appointed to amend the Act and the amendments to the Ordinancet would be tabled in the parliament within the first quarter of the year, the Minister stated. The Minister points out that the Ordinance has many inadequacies since for the 64 years since 1946, it has not undergone major amendments sans several slight amendments. The committee appointed to amend the Ordinance has focussed to safety of the irrigation systems, protection of catchment areas, removal of squatters from catchment areas and prevention of water pollution. He also said that public consultation...

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Posted in Irrigation Ordinance , water management

Right to one's Convictions Democratic Right to protest

To build a countervailing power of the people A follow-up of the earlier discussion will take place on the 13th January 2011 at the Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), 1151/58,A , 4th Lane, Cotta Road, Rajagiriya at 4.00 p.m. The action programme in relation to the attack on Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne at the Colombo International Airport, will be reviewed as the first item of the agenda. Irrespective of bad weather, kindly attend this important discussion In Solidarity, Linus Jayatilake President United Federation of Labour (UFL) Council Member of Monlar. ...

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Posted in Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne , Linus Jayatilake

Free Trade Zones in Ireland and Four Asian Countries | Trócaire

Trócaire (At the beginning of the 1980s MONLAR undertook a study under the title “Export-Oriented Industrialization Strategy and the Free Trade Zones in Sri Lanka”. This was a joint study that was conducted in five countries on the same topic. They were Ireland, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. This is the report of this study,) In the 1950s, the world's first industrial free trade zone (FTZ), or export processing zone, (EPZ) was established at Shannon Airport. This experiment attracted a good deal of international interest and the results were regarded as a considerable success by UNIDO and other international agencies which urged...

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Posted in Free Trade Zones , Ireland , Sri Lanka

Imported eggs in Sri Lanka's markets; local industry at peril

(January 07, 2010) Sri Lanka Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando says that a stock of three million eggs were to be cleared from the ports today and 70 million eggs have been ordered to control the escalating price of eggs at local markets. He denied the allegations of the opposition and the local poultry associations that the imported eggs are not suitable for consumption. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the All Lanka Poultry Industry Union Dr. D.D. Wanasinghe stated that the price of the locally produced eggs would go down by next week not because of the imports but the increase of production and decrease of demand....

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Posted in Dr. D.D. Wanasinghe , Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando , poultry

Bitter story of sugar of Booker Tate to be re-written in Sri Lanka

(January 06, 201,  Lanka Polity, Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe) Sri Lanka Board of Investment (BoI) says that British firm Booker Tate is to come to an agreement this month to invest US$ 110 million to establish a sugar factory in Moneragala. Environmental Impact Assessment is being carried out now, reports say. Booker Tate, a subsidiary of Tsb Sugar International, will be collaborating with IMS Holdings along with an individual party in Sri Lanka to establish the plant that is to be named as “Bibile Sugar.”  Read Lanka Polity ...

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Posted in Bibile Sugar , Booker Tate , IMS Holding

Red onion price escalates beyond consumer access in Sri Lanka as cultivation declines

(January 07, 2010) The price of red onion has gone up to over Rs. 340 (more than three US Dollars) in retail markets. Red onion is an essential delicacy used in preparation of Sri Lankan curries. Sri Lanka government has reduced taxes for imports of onion and taken measures to import them from Pakistan. However, the price escalation continues as India has also banned export of onion since decline in production. It is reported that the onion harvest expected by Sri Lanka in the upcoming season is low worsening the situation. Reports from Kalpitiya, a major onion cultivation area says that the acreage under onion cultivation has declined severely....

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Posted in food prices , Kalpitiya , red onion