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From bumper harvest blooms a pumpkin festival as farmer aid
View(s):the humble pumpkin is in the news once again due to the bumper crop which has resulted in farmers struggling to get a reasonable price for their produce. In the Ampara, Anuradhapura and Moneragala districts, where pumpkins grow in abundance during this time of the year, farmers have been hard hit by falling prices, with some of them giving away their produce free of charge rather than letting them rot and go a waste.
Pumpkin, pumpkin and more pumpkin in Karuwalagaswewa, Anuradhapura. Pix by Jayaratna Wickramaarachchi
It is the stories of such farmers that inspired a group of forward-thinking persons led by Coexist Foundation Chairman Channa de Silva to come up with a novel concept that would put pumpkin farmers at center stage and awaken people to the true benefits of the humble pumpkin.
This will be by way of a Pumpkin Farmers’ Festival on February 22 (Friday) along Green Path (Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“During the past few weeks, while I was travelling in Anuradhapura and other areas, the sad plight of the pumpkin farmers was evident. There were piles of pumpkins dumped along the road, with the farmers willing to give them away free, so that they would not go a waste,” said Mr. de Silva, who is also the Chairman of Sarvodaya Development Finance Limited.
He had then mooted the idea of a pumpkin farmers’ festival with several others, including Sarvodaya Development Finance Limited Chief Executive Officer Nilantha Jayanetti.
“As someone who grew up in Ampara, an area where farmers depend on the sale of pumpkin during this time of the year to make a living, I can personally relate to their plight, as my father too was a farmer. This festival is a way to not only draw attention to the farmers but also enlighten the people on the many health benefits of eating pumpkin,” he said.
Twenty-five farmers from all three districts will take part in the festival bringing with them between 50,000 kilos and 100,000 kilos of pumpkin. The morning session will specially focus on educating schoolchildren on the value of pumpkins as well encourage them to buy a pumpkin and contribute towards the welfare of the farmers.
“This is a home-grown vegetable which can be prepared in a number of ways. Pumpkins are grown without the use of any chemical fertiliser and are wholesome and nutritious. At the festival, people will get to talk to the farmers and experts on the benefits of consuming pumpkin,” he said.
The festival organisers have got on board leading hoteliers, well-known Chef Publis Silva and Ayurvedic physicians who will explain the many benefits of pumpkin, while there will also be fun activities such as pumpkin carvings etc. Among the special guests will be Vannie Attho, the Chief of the Dambana Vedda community.
Members of the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM), too, will be part of the festival and they will conduct a session with the farmers on how to become entrepreneurs and add value to their produce so that they can make bigger profits in the future.
The festival will also link up through social media such as Facebook and Instagram, urging people to take up a pumpkin challenge and post their achievements on their social media accounts.
There will also be a pumpkin auction, with the organisers having taken on the challenge to sell 50,000 kilos or more of pumpkin within the day. “We are determined not to send a single pumpkin back with the farmers,” Mr. Jayanetti said.
Organisers said pumpkin farmers from the north would also participate in the festival.
Pumpkin in Sri Lanka is grown during the Maha season in these three districts as either their main crop or substitute crop but each year they are also faced with the uncertainty of getting a fair price for their produce.
Coexist Foundation consists of scientists, professionals, social and business leaders, and focuses on promoting sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable agriculture in the country.
Additional proceeds from the festival will go towards several orphanages.