News
It’s cassava, kos and kesel muwa for many as carrots, leeks, beans go beyond their means
Vegetable prices remained high for the second consecutive week, although a slight reduction in prices was reported compared to last week.
People complained that the prices were still high, adding that they feared things would only get worse with the upcoming festive season.
Farmers warned that the vegetable price hike would continue into December with the market being hit by a drop in supply.
They said the prevailing situation–a ripple effect of banning chemical fertilisers and agro chemicals–could only be rectified in the next harvest season.
Consumers, meanwhile, complained that the price of common vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, leeks, beans and capsicum had gone beyond their pockets with prices doubling due to inadequate supplies. Many were going at Rs 250 to 300 a kilo after going up to Rs 400 earlier in the week.
Mahesh Siriwardena, a private company employee, said the variety of vegetables in a packet of rice and curry had also reduced.
Vegetable prices in Makola on Saturday. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
“I was forced to buy food from out for several days as we have run out of cooking gas. When we opened the packets of rice we realised that there was an odd combination of manioc, potato, kos and pollos. The portion of rice had also been reduced,” he said.
He said the portions in a packet were small for the Rs 250 he had to pay for it.
He said many families are now cooking cassava, kos (jak fruit) and kesel muwa (banana blossom) instead of carrots, leeks, beans and capsicum.
Meanwhile, retail shop operators as well as traders voiced concern over possible shortage of vegetables during the upcoming festive season. They said prices would go up further as the vegetable stocks arriving at economic centres were reducing day by day.
Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre Traders’ Association chairman Shantha Ekanayake told the Sunday Times that farmers were facing problems such as damaged crops and low yields due to the non-availability of fertilisers and chemicals.
“Normally the Dambulla market receives 2.5 to 3 million kilos of vegetables a day, but now only about 400,000 kilos of fresh daily produce comes in,” he said.
Trader Dhammika Bandara who operates a retail shop as well as sells vegetables at the Peliyagoda Manning Market said when unscrupulous merchants and third party traders realise that there is a short supply of vegetables they allow the demand to increase exploiting the situation to their advantage.
“The price of a kilo of capsicum is about Rs 500 at the wholesale market, but when it reaches the retailer it is increased to Rs 800,” he said.
“It is not uncommon for prices to go up during any festive season, but this year it has gone out of control because of the lack of a control on prices,” he said, calling on the authorities to act to stem the ever-increasing prices.
Meanwhile, eatery owners had their own tales of woe, saying they were finding it difficult to supply the set menu of a normal rice and curry packet due to high vegetable prices. 
Eshantha Fernando, manager of an eatery in Hunupitiya Cross Roads, said his business was running at a loss.
“My customers are people I know, so closing shop is not an option for me. But I will be forced to increase prices from next year.”
He said his customers usually got four varieties of vegetables but now he serves only two varieties of vegetables with rice and curry.
“I reduced my 14 member staff to four,” he said adding however that he will be helping the other 10 with some form of allowance.
W.A.D. Hementha a manager of a restaurant at Vinayalankara Mawatha, Colombo, said he will be closing shop as he is unable to make any profit.
He said he was already facing difficulties with the hike in prices of rice, cooking gas, and other essential commodities and the increase in vegetable prices was the last straw. He said since he foresaw a further price hike during the season he had decided to wind up operations now.
“I cannot raise prices or reduce the quality of my food, therefore I have told my staff of about 20 and vendors who supplied me goods that I will be closing shop,” he said.
National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection chairman Ranjith Vithanage said vegetable prices had increased in parallel with the hike in prices of essential commodities.
He said the Government has given up controlling prices and managing the market and as a result large scale businessmen are making profits while small-scale businesses and consumers are the hardest hit.
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