President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the “Kulubadu Mandiraya”, Madiwela Branch of the Spices and Allied Products Marketing Board recently.
The President took steps to re-establish this sales board at the request of the residents of Meemure during the President’s visit for the ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ programme.
Accordingly, the Spices and Allied Products Marketing Board was established in August as a solution to the issues faced by the farmers in remote areas when selling and promoting their produce.
Established in the year 1972, this Board existed as a dormant institution which was limited to a document until it came to the notice of the President.
The Government intends to provide proper solutions to a number of issues including providing maximum prices to the farmer, a relief to the consumer, as well as creating foreign market opportunities for quality spices and allied products, market research, coordination, regulation and maintaining nutrition and medicinal quality.
The Spices and Allied Products Marketing Board has set up 10 branches in Battaramulla, Madiwela, Nugegoda, Pambahinna, Ratnapura, Kalawana, Kiri Ella, Kotamulla and Pallebedda in mere four months. The 11th branch is scheduled to open on the 31st December in Sevanagala.
Negotiations have already been held with countries such as Nigeria, France, Russia, Bangladesh and Japan and the US State of California to seize international market opportunities for local spices.
The Spices and Allied Products Marketing Board currently purchases over 20 million products a month and it has taken steps to expand its branch network across the country in the near future.
