Lal Kantha justifies new criteria for big onion purchase

By Ajith Siriwardana   

In the wake of controversy surrounding the government’s move to purchase big onions under several criteria, Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha said yesterday the government has to maintain certain standards when purchasing produces like big onions.   

The Minister told reporters that Sathosa has to focus on quality when purchasing big onions as the stocks purchased by them have to be supplied to super markets and other outlets.   

“We need to purchase them with some quality. Sathosa has to sell them to customers in return,” he said responding to a question on introducing new criteria for big onion purchase.   

Several parties, including farmer organisations, have criticized the criteria introduced by the government for purchasing big onions which included that the onions must have a diameter between 35mm and 65mm.