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As vegetable prices soar, thieves plunder the fields
The Nuwara Eliya field from which thieves stole vegetables
The prices of vegetables in Nuwara Eliya have risen steeply as a result of rainy weather which caused much damage to crop fields.
Prompted by the high prices, thieves have started entering fields at night and stealing root vegetables. Many such incidents have been reported in Nuwara Eliya. On the night of January 7, thieves entered a field at Vajira Mawatha and made off after uprooting around 500 kilograms of carrot.
The field owner has complained to the police. With carrot being sold in Nuwara Eliya at Rs. 250 a kg, the stock of stolen carrots was a fine haul for the thieves. From January 8, police increased their after-hours patrols and also started subjecting lorries and other vehicles to strict checks during the night. There are reports that vegetables are being thus stolen and sold and that other vendors are buyin such vegetables at low prices. Greater responsibility has been placed on vendors to inquire where their produce has been obtained from.
Nuwara Eliya Police Inspector Senaka Jayasinghe said that failure to do so would mean that action would be taken against the vendors for dealing in stolen goods. He also said crop owners must increase vigilance.