Sri Lanka's vegetable delivery techniques, waste and new laws

(February 02, 2011) Sri Lanka media reports that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the officials to acquire 400,000 plastic crates to be released to the market so that the vegetable transporters can use them in safe delivery of vegetables.

The government has banned the use of gunny bags and other ad hoc packaging in delivery of vegetables and the use of crates has been made compulsory since February 01.

The authorities say that 20% of the harvest is wasted while being transported using improper delivery techniques. The aim of the move of the government is to prevent the waste of vegetable harvest while being transported to the markets. The government says that the waste of vegetable causes the increase of prices at the market.

However, some vegetable traders say that the trucks loaded with plastic crates can transport less weight of vegetables and the prices will further escalate with the making of using plastic crates compulsory in vegetable delivery.

They show the need of especially manufactured crates to transport different kinds of vegetables. The daily need of crates for the vegetable traders is 150,000, says the traders’ organization. However, the government failed to guarantee the supplies of crates before the ban on gunny bags was imposed.
Yesterday, the vegetable traders of Nuwaraeliya Economic Center boycotted supply of vegetables to Colombo in protest of the government action.

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Posted in fruit and vegetable exporters , plastic crates , transport , wastage

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