Northern harvest reaches Colombo

(March 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The first harvest stock from the North reached Colombo last evening by road in nearly 22 years.Reportedly 20 trucks carried harvest from North, especially from Jaffna on A-9 Jaffna-Kandy highway from the government food stores at Navatkuli to the CWE Stores Complex in Welisara.

Prawns, lobsters, red onions, dry fish, and fresh vegetables were the main items transported from North, sources said.

A total of 48,250 kg of fresh red onions, 1,318 kg of beet root, 4,750 kg of crabs and prawns and 5,750 kg of dry shrimps and prawns had been brought in these lorries. Those consignments are to be distributed through Government Cooperative stores and Ceylon Wholesale Establishment (CWE) stalls after stocks were received by the government warehouse in Welisara.

The transportation of goods was made possible by the opening of A-9 following the liberation of the North from the LTTE. A-9 is still not open for public transportation. It is now possible to transport the agricultural produce of Jaffna to Colombo on the A-9. -Sri Lanka Guardian