• Bandarawela and Monaragala being considered for 2 centres

The Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security stated that there are plans to establish only four new dedicated economic centres in the country, and that no further expansion is required to meet the current national need.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security, R.M. Jayawardana said that no large-scale expansion of economic centres is required at this stage. "Only about four new centres are being considered, with two likely to be set up in Bandarawela and Monaragala. The locations for the remaining two are yet to be finalised."

He also said that some existing economic centres are struggling to achieve their intended objectives due to issues such as poor planning and location. Citing the Batticaloa Economic Centre as an example, he said it fails to receive enough vegetable and fruit stocks because of its distance from key agricultural areas.

The Deputy Minister’s remarks come as the Government recently admitted that economic centres, which were initially introduced to stabilise prices and ensure the smooth distribution of essential food items like fruits and vegetables, have largely failed to deliver.

Speaking in the Parliament recently, the Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security, Wasantha Samarasinghe said: “There are 14 active economic centres in the country today, and almost every one of them is operating under a different system. None are truly meeting the objectives they were built for." He said that issues such as delays in transportation and poor infrastructure have affected the achievement of their core objective of creating a steady supply of produce to consumers while giving farmers and traders a reliable platform.

Currently, a total of 18 economic centres are located in areas such as Narahenpita, Dambulla, Veyangoda, Meegoda, Thambuttegama, Embilipitiya, and Jaffna.