News
Market closures hit Kalpitiya vegetable farmers; Govt. intervention sought
View(s):
Farmers say months of hard work have gone to waste
The closure of wholesale vegetable markets and several economic centres have severely affected more than 25,000 farmers in the Kalpitiya area.
The farmers say their investments and months of hard work have gone waste as they cannot sell the harvest from 20,000 acres they cultivated.
Vegetable cultivation is a main income earner for residents in several Kalpitiya villages including Daluwa, Manpuriya, Paniadiya, Ethala, Palasola, Kandakuliya and Palliwasathurai.
“We understand that due to the COVID situation, markets have been closed but it does not mean that we should suffer, and people should stop eating vegetables. The authorities should work out a mechanism. The issue here is that buyers do not have access to the market while farmers do not have a way to get the products to the buyers,” farmer P.T. Rosha said.
He said the government should come up with a plan to sell vegetables through the CWE and cooperative stores while government lorries which were not being used these days could also be put into use to sell vegetables.
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
No takers: Rotting vegetables thrown away