North also experiences steep rise in vegetable prices

Vegetables in the Northern Province have also gone up steeply due to vegetable farmers in several districts refraining from planting their crops. 

Vegetable traders said farmers in the Jaffna, Mullativu and Kilinochchi districts have largely refrained from planting crops this season. This has resulted in a vegetable shortage in the Northern Province, with vegetables now having to be transported north from the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre. This in turn has resulted in vegetable prices rising steeply. 

Up until now, vegetable prices in the Northern Province had remained stable while prices in other provinces had shot up steeply. This was because vegetable farmers in the Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts had been growing enough produce to ensure there was no shortage in the province. 

However, a host of issues experienced in recent weeks, including the fertiliser crisis, a resurgent COVID pandemic and adverse weather had impacted the work of farmers, forcing many of them to step back from their work. Vegetable prices in the north have gone up steeply over the past few days as a result. 

By Romesh Madushanka