In Sri Lanka an incident occurred where it was revealed that 2,500 kg of beetroot imported into the country and delivered to retail shops; coincided with the harvest of beetroot produced in Jaffna Peninsula and elsewhere in the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that the beetroot stock may have been imported with potatoes, although the shops that sold the imported beetroot has denied the allegations.
It is noteworthy that the same ministry has forgotten the policy of the government to promote local production. As the result the people engaged in cultivating beetroot suffered from this activity of incompetent officials.
Further investigations revealed the fault was with the importers who had overlooked all regulations and acted arbitrarily, ignoring the government rules. But the rulers have not taken any action; having failed to realize its impact is on the farmers in the country. In this particular case as most of the farmers affected belong to minority communities; only would help to keep communities divided in the country!
Northern Breeze 