Food prices drop in North

Jaffna traders happy:

Ananth PALAKIDNAR

The Chamber of Commerce comprising a sizeable number of big and small-time traders in the Jaffna peninsula is in full praise for the Government in sending essential items to Jaffna and thus putting an end to shortages. Prices dropped drastically in the North according to the Commissioner General of the Essential Services, S.B. Divaratne.

Arrangements have been made to send a second convoy of twenty five lorries carrying 320 metric tons of essential items to Jaffna on Thursday following the success of the first convoy of thirty five that had reached last week.

Divaratne told the Sunday Observer that trading and the farming communities of Jaffna were the happiest lot following the opening of the A-9 highway, initially for narrowing the gap between trading and the farming sectors of the North and the South.

“The first convoy that reached Jaffna from Colombo a week ago following the re-opening of the A-9 highway had returned to Colombo with sixty thousand kilograms of cargo from Jaffna.Twenty thousand kilos of the total quantity were sea food items.

The agricultural products such as onions and tobacco along with other agricultural items were also included in the cargo that returned from Jaffna.

“Therefore not only the farmers but also the fisherfolk in the North were highly appreciative of the efforts of the government in easing their difficulties,” Divaratne said.

He also added that according to G.A. Jaffna the prices of almost all the food items have come down and prior to the Sinhala-Tamil New Year in April the prices were most likely to come down further.

Meanwhile, medical items have been transported by sea to Mullaitivu last evening, by MV “Green Ocean” and transferred to Puthumathalan beachhead from Trincomalee with the ICRC escort.

Regional Director of Health Services, Mullaitivu district, Dr.S. Sathyamoorthy will receive the medical items from the liner which will offload cargo onto smaller vessels, according to Divaratne.