Veggie farmers cry out for sales channels for their surpluses
Every year, Sri Lanka’s farmers produce some varieties of vegetables more than is needed by households. Only minute amounts are exported. The bulk ends up on garbage dumps, for elephants to rummage through. The glut of vegetables cause financial loss to farmers and the waste of thousands of tonnes of vegetables continues.
Farmer associations are calling for ways to regulate agricultural production.
Vegetable prices in Colombo dropped sharply with the majority of produce selling below Rs 80 per kilogram.
Referring to the recent glut, Duminda Priyadarshana, head of marketing food policy and the agri business division at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute said farmers had switched to growing vegetables because they had not been able to grow rice.
He said demand and supply fluctuates from March to April and July to September, but this year’s surplus has led to a massive drop in prices.
Mr Priyadarshana said farmers can harvest their vegetable crop in 45 days, unlike the rice crop. Despite losses, he said, farmers continue to grow vegetables, in the hope they can recoup their money the next time around, but it does not happen. So they sink deeper and deeper into debt.
Mr Priyadarshana told the Sunday Times that the Agriculture Ministry and the training institute should draw up plans to manage production and regulate prices.
A researcher at the institute, W A Nalaka Wijesooriya, said a system under which they suggest the amount and type of crop based on the size of the farm had been introduced. But this can not be implemented because of adverse weather. For one thing, the Government has no system to purchase excess stock and store them.
At the same time, he said, farmers are reluctant to follow available schemes.
But farmer groups blame the Government for not helping them in marketing their produce.
The All Island Farmers Federation. national organiser, Namal Karunaratne told the Sunday Times that the Government lacks a plan to regulate crop production and estimate how much is needed for consumption.
He also said, that the Government must pro- vide suitable seeds.
Mr Karunaratne said farmers produce 100 kilos of vegetables and only earn an income for 40kg.
The lack of air-conditioned storage contributes to the waste. Buyers in Dambulla do not have such storage either.
“Sometimes, farmers have to pay more to transport vegetables compared with what they can earn,’’ Mr Karunaratne said.
Back in Colombo, vendors said they are unable to sell their vegetables despite a drop in prices.
“Though the prices have dropped, there is no major increase in demand. Some times we buy extra assuming that we can sell it, as prices are low, but that does not happen,’’ said M. N. Nirmala a vendor at the Dematagoda market.
She said she incurs losses as a result. Sumith Thilanka, another trader in the same market, said many of the vendors were selling the same produce.
“Due to large stocks being transported, the crop damage also was high. This further affects the traders,’’ he said.
He sees the need for cold storage facilities in markets.
A cross section of consumers interviewed by the Sunday Times admitted that vegetable prices were low.
“We feel sorry about the farmers though we benefit from low prices. In some cases a farmer may not be getting Rs 10 per kilo,’’ said Jayantha Liyanaarachchi, a resident of Wattala.
He too believes cold storages should be provided to the trade.
“The government and the farmers need to work together on this issue. The officials should know the realities on the ground,’’ he said.
N Hewage, a resident of Colombo, said that during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, prices were very low and even lower in Dambulla. “When I visited Dambulla I saw the stocks held for disposal,’’ he added. He said cold storage should be provided to vegetable growers and sellers.