COLOMBO (News1st): The government on Tuesday announced it would purchase produce from farmers in four districts who have been affected due to the current situation surrounding COVID – 19.
The banana yields of farmers in the districts of Ratnapura and Hambantota will be purchased at a reasonable rate on April 15 and 16, the Presidential Task Force on Essential Services said.
“The required funds have been disbursed through to the district secretaries to purchase the fruits,” the task force noted in a statement.
Meanwhile, the government has also decided to purchase pumpkins from farmers in the Mahawilachchiya area in the Anuradhapura district and distribute them among low income earning families in Colombo.
“The programme to purchase other vegetables with the assistance of the Civil Security Department will be conducted parallelly,” the statement added.
According to the task force, vegetables will also be purchased from the Bandarawela, Welimada, and Keppetipola areas in the Badulla district in the coming days.
The government, last week launched a programme to purchase produce from farmers who were forced to sell them on roadsides, after economic centres at which their goods are sold, had been shut to curb the spread of COVID – 19.
(News First)