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Lament of the Kalpitiya farmers
Farmers in Kalpitiya, like in most parts of the country say they are unable to sell their produce and were facing great financial hardships.
They said vegetables such as cabbage, beetroot, red onion, radish and produce of other intermediate crops cultivated in about 8000 acres are rotting.
Noone to harvest this bountiful crop of green chillies
The farmers added that they cannot even collect the harvest of vegetables cultivated in villages such as Dhaluwa, Norochcholai, Palakuda, Alankuda, Thalawila, Ilanthadiya and Palasole as they cannot find labourers.
A farmer from Dhaluwa, Nishantha Fernando said some farmers who have harvested their crops are unable to sell them.
“I cultivated chilies on three acres. Before this problem I was able to sell a kilo of green chilies at Rs 300. Now I cannot even sell for Rs 80,” he said.
Camillus Fernando looks despairingly at his crop of watermelon
He said as a result he was unable to even cover the cultivation expenses. He also said that the labourers who used to help them collect their harvest live in distant areas such as Anamaduwa, Wanathwilluwa, Nawagatthegama, Maha kumbukadawala and Kotawehera areas. Mr Farnando said due to the curfew the labourers were unable to come to their areas.
Camillus Fernando another farmer who cultivates watermelon in a two acre land said that the crop should have been harvested in the third week of last month.
“Now I cannot sell the fruit as they are no longer fresh. I will have a loss of about Rs.20 million,” he lamented.