Cause long-term headache

Seedling onions are being sold for food last year to cash in on high prices for red onions and this is causing headaches, a farmers’ leader said.

The President of the Dambulla Merchants Association, Channa Eraula said there were fewer red onions to cultivate as farmers had sold their seedling onions instead of using them to grow crops.

The resulting shortage has been exacerbated by onion fields being damaged by heavy rains, he said.

Mr. Eraula said although Dambulla farmers had land prepared for onion cultivation the fields were empty because farmers who had seeds were selling a kilo of seedlings for Rs. 13,000.

“The price of a kilo of onion seedlings was Rs. 8,000 last year but now it is Rs. 13,000,” Mr. Eraula said. He said farmers waiting to grow crops are seeking government intervention to obtain seedlings at cheaper prices.