Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, has instructed the officials to take steps to start a project to grow vegetables that Colombo needs in the Colombo district itself. Presently consumers are forced to buy vegetables and fruits at exorbitant prices in Colombo.
Accordingly, Padukka Miriyagalla village has been selected for this project. Thirty farmers of that village have already selected the first phase for vegetable cultivation. Under this, 250 acres of vegetables are to be cultivated.
The Agriculture Ministry provides all the necessary facilities for vegetable cultivation to the farmers of Miriagalla village and steps have been taken to provide financial subsidies of Rs. five lakhs per farmer for cultivation in the poly tunnel.
Both Up Country vegetables and Low Country vegetable prices are high in Colombo and other districts of the Western Province.
The price of all vegetables is very high due to the wastage in the transportation of vegetables and fruits from economic centres like Dambulla and Tambuttegama to Colombo, the increase in transportation costs and the strong influence of a group of middlemen called Nadikarayos. Because of this, these middlemen buy vegetables from the farmers and sell them to Colombo consumers at exorbitant prices.
A discussion in this regard was held in the Agriculture Ministry recently and the Minister instructed the officials to take steps to develop Padukka Miriagalla as a vegetable growing village for Colombo.
The Minister expressed his views: “In Anuradhapura and Monaragala areas, pumpkins that cannot be sold for even Rs.10 go up to Rs.80 in Colombo. This price will never decrease. It had been published in the media that 10 kilos of kekiri had to be sold to pay the toilet fees of Dambulla Economic Centre. But a kilogram of Colombo kekiri is about Rs. 50.
This is why we produce the vegetables that Colombo needs in Colombo. Then middlemen or tyrants will not be able to rip off consumers. Also, the vegetables grown in Padukke’s Miriyagalla village are supplied to Colombo. Intermediaries are not allowed to interfere”.
The Minister also said that the ministry will provide the necessary facilities to the farmers.
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