Pear cultivators complain of low prices

 Says they only receive Rs. 700 a kilo   

By Shantha Chandrasiri   

Pear cultivators in Nuwara Eliya and Ragala areas have been left without a remunerative market for their produce, much to their anxiety.   

They said they have a bumper harvest this year, but they were incurring heavy losses due to the poor prices. They pointed out that they were not in a position to meet the production costs with the poor price of Rs. 700 a kilo they receive from middlemen.   

The farmers expressed concern that middlemen and traders were making heavy profits by selling pears for prices between Rs.1,600 and 2,000 a kilo.