News
Rain ruins sesame harvest
Acres of white sesame cultivation are at the risk of being destroyed due to heavy rain fall experienced in the North Western Province.
Farmers in Anamaduwa, Mahakumbukkadawala, Nawagattegama and Wanathawilluwa areas in the Puttalam District are complaining of rotting harvests as their agricultural produce does not fetch a good price in the market.
Though it usually yields a good harvest, planted in September 2020, the sesame harvest has been lost due to the prevailing rains.
Anamaduwa Kiwula Katuwa I H Maliyaratne, a sesame cultivator, has faced substantial rains for the whole month and has lost his harvest, resulting in financial loss and growing debts. He has now abandoned cultivated land.
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- The abandoned harvest has sprouted
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- R P Sumanawathi: “We don’t know what to do”
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- Cultivators glean what little they can
He said: “We planted sesame on a two-acre land through a loan. Our produce is sold for a meagre sum of Rs 6,000 in the market. The sesame is now left to rot in the rain. As we are experiencing heavy rainfall, it is not possible to harvest sesame.”
Due to the continuous rains, the sesame trees that were cut down were not harvested and plants have now sprouted.
Mrs R P Sumanawathi said: “Elephants invade our cultivations and destroy crops. We had to find alternatives, and moved to cultivate various crops to make a living.Unfortunately, the sesame crop grown during this Maha season was destroyed by the rains and now we are out of the frying pan into the fire. We cannot think of anything else to do.
She said that officials had not addressed the issue so far.
Speaking to the Sunday Times Puttalam District Deputy Director of Agriculture BV Tharangika Shamani said: “There is no method of paying compensation for crop damages earlier this year. Agricultural Production Assistants have collected the necessary information in this regard.
“It is possible to provide relief to these growers soon. Also, seed subsidies are ready to be implemented this year as well,” she said.
Cultivators say they are struggling to survive amidst the epidemic, and will lose out in future due to the lack of guidance to protect their crops from natural disasters.