News
People feeling blue over high priced greens
Adverse weather conditions and the upcoming festive season have sent vegetables prices soaring with traders warning of more hikes to come. Vegetable vendors at Manning Market,in Pettah, said heavy rains in the North- Central, Southern, Central, and Uva provinces had dealt a big blow to vegetable crops reducing the harvest and thus compelled to sell them at a minimal profit.
Farmers said before the heavy rains the severe drought had ruined most of the crop and what remained was then hit by the rains. In Dambulla and surrounding areas there was another reason for vegetable prices to shoot up. With the onset of rains many farmers were turning to paddy cultivation away from vegetable cultivation.
Who’ll buy these veggies at Manning Market: Vegetables are fast becoming a luxury commodity to a large segment of society.Pic by Indika Handuwala
Dambulla Economic Center Manager (Development) Lasantha Sanjeewa explaining the situation said farmers start cultivating paddy when the rains come as paddy fields require a lot of water whereas vegetables are grown on dryland.
He said the muddy conditions that prevail during the rainy season reduce the vegetable harvesting. “ The prices of arrivals in Colombo and other parts of the country increase as a result,” he said. Another reason for the price hike is the upcoming season. It is common for prices to up during this time of the year, but this year the prices have shot up considerably more than in previous years, the Sunday Times learns.
According to the Dambulla Economic Center some of the vegetables that showed a marked increase in wholesale prices included carrot a kilo of which ranged between Rs. 90-140 in November last year now going at Rs. 180; a kilo of beans that had increased by at least Rs. 30, a kilo of leeks that was Rs. 20-35 fetching Rs. 65; a kilo of capsicum that was sold between Rs. 60- 140 last year now sold at Rs. 150 and a coconut that ranged between Rs.25-28 now going at Rs. 35. There is also a marked difference in the price of vegetables at Manning Market and super markets.
The Sunday Times also learnt that vegetable prices in and around Colombo had shot up by about 50 per cent compared to last month’s prices.
“Most of the traders quote the price for 250 grams and not for 500 grams as we did in the past. We don’t want to put off the customer. We actually play a psychological game to attract customers,” Sujeewa Karunaratna, 32, a vendor at the weekly Wattala fair said.
“As a single parent I find it hard to cope with the increasing vegetable prices. My children are in their twenties and only one of them earns. It is my responsibility to cook them a decent meal. But now I buy only small quantities of vegetables because we can’t afford the prices,” Malani Wijerathna (67) from Divulapitiya, Borelesgamuwa, said.
A spokesperson for the Colombo Housewives Association told the Sunday Times said it was unfair that vegetable prices increase during the festive season.
“Middle class families are badly affected. Housewives complain they can’t afford to celebrate the forthcoming Christmas and New Year. The government should ensure that the people have enough food to eat before working on other projects and we believe that its policies have to change because the people are suffering,” she said.
Institutions too are affected by the increase in prices. Sri Vajira Rehabilitation Children’s Home secretary said the management was finding it hard to cope. “We have 155 children in our home and these days with the increase in vegetable prices we find it difficult to manage.
But since we have to feed the children we buy the vegetables at any price. But we wish that at least the prices of food could be reduced because it is hard to run an institution like this,” he said.
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