Johnny focuses on Economic Centres [October 10 2010]

Minister of Trade Johnston Fernando said malpractices and shortcomings at Economic Centres will be answered within the next few weeks. The Minister said he is aware of certain unethical and misleading trading at the Economic Centres, depriving poor farmers of a reasonable price for their harvest.

He said all such actions would be closely monitored to draw a plan to protect farmers. Minister Fernando said shortcoming experienced at certain Economic Centres at present would also be rectified to give consumers essential goods at a reasonable price. "Our aim is to protect both the consumer and farmer, minimising the share, for that matter to eliminate, of middlemen," he told the Observer a short while ago.