October 05, Colombo (LNW): Upland farmers in the Nuwara Eliya region are expressing serious concerns over the economic impact caused by the cultivation of vegetables using imported hybrid seeds such as carrots, gourd, and beetroot.
They point out that no assistance is being provided by the government to the upland vegetable farmers, stating, “We can never cultivate rice in Nuwara Eliya; only the vegetables like potatoes, carrots, gourds, and leeks can be grown here.”
Farmers from the Low country area, including Walimada, lament that they are unable to cultivate rice due to the lack of fertilizer support, and instead, they are resorting to growing unique vegetables, leading to instability in the pricing of their produce.
The main production problems faced by farmers are high input cost, lack of finance, water availability, quality seeds and poor extension.
Additionally, farmers generally lack knowledge about proper pesticide management including safe pesticide handling and storage.
In the past, the people of Nuwara Eliya cultivated high-quality seeds that were exclusive to the region, but now the hybrid seeds are being planted everywhere. Due to the absence of a stable price for rice, farmers in Phaturata have begun to grow vegetables.
This situation is causing severe harm, as the prices of vegetables are rapidly plummeting. Simultaneously, the decline in rice production essential for consumption in Sri Lanka forces us to buy rice at higher prices from abroad.
The current situation has reached a tragic state where purchasing a kilogram of rice requires selling four kilograms of carrots.
Farmers are suffering significantly due to this issue, as upland farmers are forced to cultivate their crops without any assistance, leading to a scenario where they have to sell their harvests at very low prices.
Farmers from Phaturata do not face such difficulties since they receive some fertilizer support, while we do not receive anything.
We are appealing to the current Minister of Agriculture, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to ensure the cultivation of rice in the Phaturata area and create an environment conducive for us to grow unique vegetables. If assistance is provided to both the Phaturata farmers and us, we will highly appreciate the initiative.
Even if it’s not possible to provide full assistance, if we can receive fertilizer support worth 50,000 rupees, it would be a significant help considering the current economic situation, they added.. .
