Sri Lanka’s ministry of cooperation and internal trade has issued a gazette notification that requires vegetables are packed in such a way as to prevent damage during transit.
The ministry has recommended that produce be transported in plastic crates, rather than gunny sacks, as is common practice, according to Sri Lankan news website the colombopage.com
Transporters were given a one-month grace period, after which offenders will be fined, said ministry secretary Sunil Sirisena.
The website reported that poor packaging practices during transit have caused food wastage to become a problem.
Traders argued, however, the use of plastic crates would push up transport costs as less produce could be packed in a truck when stored in plastic containers, compared to how much could be packed when produce was held in gunny sacks.
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