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| Sunday, 7 April 2002 |
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Maha season Vanni farmers to benefit by DON ASOKA WIJEWARDENA The Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in a bid to maintain an uninterrupted supply of rice at a stable price for the consumer will purchase 6-and-half per cent of the total rice production from the Maha season farmers as a buffer stock, at least 50,000 metric tons, said the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister, Ravi Karunanayaka, at a media conference held recently at the ministry. The Minister said that the government had already allocated Rs 181 million to his ministry to purchase rice and another Rs 31 million had been pledged for the same purpose. The farmers in the Vanni and Kilinochchi areas had requested the CWE to purchase their produce for which arrangements would be made to implement it shortly. When asked about the increasing price of consumer items following the higher electricity bills effective from April 1, Mr Karunanayaka said that the increase of electricity charges was inevitable as the government had to pay a higher price to the private sector to obtain electricity and consequently manufacturers using electricity for the production of a variety of items were bound to increase the prices of their products. The minister said that the newly-opened CWE supermarket at Welisara had earned around Rs 21 lakhs from the sales on the opening day,where as on a normal day it was about Rs 17 to 18 lakhs. On a directive of the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the supermarket did not introduce local and foreign liquor, otherwise the sales would have been much more. CWE Chairman, Nahil Wijesuriya, said that the CWE would soon open more sales outlets and pharmacies throughout the country, including in the North and East and top priority for this purpose would be given to areas like Kilinochchi, Vanni and Madu, after reopening of the A 9 road this month. The new Salu Sala Chairman, Fazad Hameed, said that a voluntary retirement scheme for Salu Sala employees had been introduced recently for the benefit of those willing to do so before their normal retirement age. A top level trade delegation from Pakistan is expected here in May to discuss bi-lateral trade between the two countries and, under the Indo-Lanka agreement, Minister Ravi Karunanayaka and some ministry officials will leave for India on April 18. The Minister requested all the general public to use the newly-opened round-the clock "customer care unit" at the ministry at Vauxhall Street, Colombo 2 to make general complaints, of any malpractice or corruption taking place at any CWE outlet, and also suggestions for their benefit and the improvement of the organisation. |
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