No fertilizer so vegetable prices might increase

30 June 2013 09:07 am Views - 3003

Several trade unions at the Nuwaraeliya and Dambulla Economic Centres said today vegetable prices would rise because production would decrease if farmers were not provided with fertilizer on time.

Dambulla trade union President U.B. Ekanayake said the farmers had not been provided with their quota of fertilizer and several of those who had cultivated their land were in big trouble.

“Some farmers have started cultivating their land. Crops like onion need to be fertilized at an early stage but this can’t be done because of a lack of fertiliser in the area. Farmers are still waiting for fertiliser,” he said.

Nuwara Eliya Trade Union Secretary H. Attanayake also said there was a shortage of fertiliser in the area which might result in a price hike in vegetable.

Trade unions complained that whenever there was a stock of fertilizer in the market certain people buy the fertilizer in large stocks before farmers could purchase them.( Lahiru Pothmulla)