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Fruit and veggies will soon rot with no one to harvest crops, say Kalpitiya farmers
At the Norochchola market, bags of vegetables are loaded into lorries
Farmers in Kalpitiya face a dilemma as they are unable to harvest their fruit and vegetable that are fast ripening and will soon perish.
Although there are no restrictions on engaging in agricultural activities and work related to paddy cultivation and harvesting, cultivators are finding it difficult to find workers.
With the prevailing curfew recruiting seasonal workers will soon become impossible unless measures are taken to ensure that these workers can still move around, while taking necessary precautions to prevent the virus from spreading.
Cultivators say usually than a 1000 people come from outside Kalpitiya to harvest vegetables and fruits.
Nishantha Fernando, a cultivator from Daluwa said although the transportation of vegetables, and fruits are being allowed workers who come from Anamaduwa, Nawagaththegama, Nikaweratiya, Kotawehera, Wanathawilluwa, Karuwalagaswewa and other areas are unable to come here to harvest our crops. “This situation is affecting the labour force and the logistical problems are becoming very vital. We need some solution so that the labour force can keep doing their job while at the same time taking precaution from the deadly virus. The government should introduce a system that keeps the food supply chain going.
“I have acres of watermelon cultivation. Usually it’s the women employees who work now we have to pay excess amount to find men from the area to work,” another cultivator Antony Pradeep said,
We need the the government to step in and find a solution. We need to be careful not to break the food chain which will have a great impact on the future too.