Plastic containers from May one

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The use of plastic containers for the transport of agriculture produce and other food products will be made mandatory beginning from May one, a senior official said yesterday.

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Consumer Affairs Authority Chief, Rumy Marzook said that traders will have to adhere to this new regulation and do away with the present gunny bags and other containers.

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He said the introduction of plastic containers was aimed mainly at protecting the products during transport, loading and unloading and also makes it more hygienic in nature.

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He said that at present tons of vegetables and fruits are damaged and set to perish quickly owing to the poor quality of the present containers which are more often gunny and string bags.

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He added that traders will be encouraged to import the plastic containers if the requirement cannot be met by the local manufacturers.

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However traders lament that the move is counter-productive to business for more than one reason.

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One Dambulla trader explained: "Lorries entering the city with loads of produce re-fill the vehicle with other material such as sand, rocks etc after unloading for the return journey. This will not be practical now, since the lorry will have to take back the empty plastic containers and this will lead to profit losses", he said. (LB)

Source: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/index.php/latest/6763-plastic-containers-from-may-one

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