Onion cultivation leads to tears in Kalpitiya and Puttalam
Red onions cultivated in the Kalpitiya and Puttalam districts are being harvested these days, but many of the onions produced go to waste due to low profits.
Onion farmers of this region say the low profits of onions is incurred by transporting onion tips from Jaffna for their plantations. They have to incur additional expenses for this reason, unlike the onion farmers in the Northern province.
There are about 22045 onion farmers and workers in 31 grama niladhari divisions of both districts. Onion farming had been their traditional occupation. Many dry zone vegetables are cultivated in both districts, but onion cultivation is the most prevalent.
Norochchole onion farmer J.A. Ajith Nishantha said they spend lakhs on onion cultivation, for their labourers' wages and other costs.
"We expect a return of at least Rs. 200 per kg to offset this expenditure," he said.
Mohamed Azeer, a buyer at the Norachchole Economic Center, said onion cultivation in this area depends on the supply of onion tips from Jaffna. This makes onion cultivation in this area more costly than in the north, because of the transport costs incurred.
“In the end, we have not been able to compete in the market for the price expected by the farmers in this area. In spite of the trouble that farmers face with cultivation, prices have been reduced. Buyers sometimes lose their commission because of this as well," Mr Azeer said.
"Our onions have a red colour which onions grown in Jaffna do not have. We cultivate onions throughout the year. We cultivate different types of vegetables and fruits to gain profits from our plantations. What we need is a stable and reasonable price for our onions," Talawila onion farmer Ishara Maguwatte said.
Tharindu Senal, an onion farmer from Kalpitiya, said this area and its surrounding areas had an unsuitable climate and landscape for onion cultivation.
"The climate is hot and dry like a desert, and the quality of the soil is not good. Cultivating onions in this area is a laborious task," he said.
Mr. Widanagama, an onion farmer from Daluwa, said although they began harvesting onions in this area recently, the prices of onions had been "slashed."
"This is very disappointing for us because we our unable to pay full wages for our labourers. We have no profit margin in onion cultivation," Mr Widanagama said.
"Many farmers began cultivating onions because if there is a domestic supply of onions, onion imports can be curtailed. This could have led to stable market prices for onions cultivated in Jaffna, Kalpitiya and Puttalam.," he said.