In June last year (2013) Savisthri members in the
Matara, Monaragala and Anuradhapura Districts held Fair Trade exhibitions in
their respective districts with the sole aim of eradicating injustices meted
out to the Producers and Consumers as a consequence of the intervention of
intermediaries.
In the same month these alternate production fairs were
held in the Matara, Monaragala and Anuradhapura Districts which provided an opportunity
to the consumers to purchase locally produced products free of poisonous stuff.
Holding of these fairs had contributed immensely to
explain the importance of consuming a meal free of poisonous stuff which in
turn increased the income of the villagers.
A meeting organized by the Savisthri womens collective
of the Matara District had been held in the Matara District a couple of months
back to give an awareness to the people’s representatives regarding the
difficulties experienced by the farmers as a consequence of the various issues
that had cropped up in the fishing industry which meeting was attended by the
Southern Provincial Council Fisheries Minister and the chairman of the Dondra
Local Government institution on 15.07.2013.
This meeting was well attended by the fishermen and
fisherwomen scattered all over in the Matara District who explained their
difficulties such as the informal manner of implementing the fuel subsidy arrest
of the fishermen in the seas, invasion of our seas by the foreign fishing trawlers
and non availability of a reasonable market place for their products such as
dried fish, maldive fish etc. They requested the people’s representatives to
expedite the settlement of their issues and drew their attention to the necessity
of having a national fisheries policy.