Price of a Coconut hits Rs. 100/- mark; traders blame GoSL for price control failure

by Zulfick Farzan 16-09-2020 | 7:17 PM

Colombo (News 1st); Coconut prices across the country have increased as cultivators and traders claim low production resulted in the price hike.

According to the Coconut Cultivation Board, the annual coconut harvest for 2019 in Sri Lanka was 2.8 Billion and 1.8 Billion was used for domestic consumption.

However, the price of a single coconut rose to Rs. 100/- in recent days as traders in the country's coconut triangle claim a coconut never reached the Rs. 100/- mark in the country's history.

The Deputy Chairman of the Coconut Cultivators Association, Jayaratne Jayaskera blamed the government for failing to control the price of coconuts.

Chairman of the National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection, Ranjith Vithanage said the country is short of 0.7 Billion coconuts adding the government has failed to manage the requirement.

"The Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority, The Coconut Cultivation Board and The Coconut Research Institute must be held accountable for this situation," claimed Vithanage.