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Homemakers ask where’s veggie deliveries; Dambulla farmers desperate
Whether vegetable growers or homemakers, (above and bottom) their dejected and despondent looks tell their own tale of woe. Pix by Kanchana Kumara and Eshan Fernando
Vegetable growers who bring their stock to the distribution centre in Dambulla appear desperate during the coronavirus lockdown, while an official says the producers are being impatient.
Homemakers, in the meantime, say the government must mobilise and deliver vegetables to the doorstep, especially for the frail and infirm Sri Lankans.
Farmers also complain of middlemen ripping them off at Dambulla Economic Centre.
Vegetables are being sold for about Rs. 20-30, a kilo, growers say.
One farmer, Mr Herath, said the demand for vegetables from eateries and makers of rice packets had dropped due to the lockdown.
“So, farmers fear that traders will purchase less and sell their stocks to whoever is approaching first.’’
Middlemen continue to roam the area, farmer organisations complain.
“They come in their personal vehicles. Some manage to get ‘essential services’ permits. Some are not even traders, but those who need to pay for their vehicle lease, or have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. They buy vegetables from farmers and sell it at higher prices elsewhere, sometimes from their vehicles,” said one trader at the Dambulla Economic Centre.
The head of the Dambulla Traders Association, U.B. Ekanayake said middlemen are reselling their stock within the distribution centre itself.
In desperation farmers sell their stocks to middlemen.
“Some of these middlemen re-sell the vegetables inside the Economic Centre,” he said.
Prasanna Premawansa, the accountant at the centre, said impatient farmers are being exploited by middlemen.
While this goes on, in main cities, households struggle to find quality vegetables and end up paying high prices.
“When you order online, sometimes you get good vegetables, sometimes the vegetables are in a really bad state. Fresh vegetables at affordable prices are yet to reach those in cities,” said Kamani Dissanayake from Kaduwela.
“Now that people are homebound for another two weeks, the Government should come up with a mechanism to deliver quality vegetables to the public. Many older people who have no access to online facilities are helpless and unable to get good vegetables. The government should purchase fresh vegetables from farmers and deploy lorries,” said another housewife from Colombo.
