Vegetables, fruits perish due to overloading

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Vegetables and fruits brought to Colombo from distant places such as Nuwara Eliya, Dambulla and Uva Paranagama perish as a result of lorries being overloaded with produce. A lorry with a capacity of five tons is packed with produce over 10 tons said the Deputy Director (Research) of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian and Research Institute, Dr. L.P. Rupasena recently.

Around 600 lorries arrive daily at the Manning Market in Pettah bringing vegetables and fruits. Brokers and the Nattamis charge a 10 percent commission on vegetables and fruits from Nuwara Eliya, Uva Paranagama, Dambulla and Moneragala. Vegetable prices are determined by market forces and not by a few individuals, he said.

Commissions levied by brokers at the Dambulla market are comparatively lower than at the Manning market. Dambulla brokers charge a fifty cents commission on vegetables sold for Rs. 10 and one rupee on every Rs. 20. The two biggest vegetable and fruit markets are Dambulla and the Manning market.

Although there are 160 supermarket chains in Sri Lanka only two percent of the vegetable produced are sold at supermarkets.

Dr. Rupasena said the commission system began around the 1930's at the 301 vegetable and fruit stalls at Kachcheri Road, Pettah prior to the Manning Market set up in Pettah. The produce is transported to Colombo in lorries belonging to different transport unions.

However, the number of lorries that arrives at the Manning market has dropped over the years.

Traders bought lorries following the open economy in 1977. They buy the vegetables from Dambulla, Nuwara Eliya and Uva Paranagama rather than the Manning market, he said.