Former Deputy Minister and NFF politburo member Piyasiri Wijenayake today questioned whether Minister Johnston Fernando was operating with the UNP mentality. Criticizing the Minister’s decision regarding the new regulations on vegetable and fruit transportation he added that it has created a major fiasco in the country.
The country’s market and economy is at the doorstep of disarray due to the issue, Wijenayake added.
The whole way in which the matter was brought about is wrong. The Minister, Ministry officials waiting with sticks to chastise those transporting vegetables in gunny bags is inappropriate, he added.
This has to be implemented gradually and in the initial stage plastic crates need to be distributed at a concessionary rate of Rs.200-300, Wijenayake claimed. He also highlighted that when lorries transport vegetables from faraway places to Colombo generally they travel back with goods from Colombo back to those areas, however now the plastic crates need to be transported back causing a huge loss for the traders.
