Vegetable growers in the Ibbagamuwa Divisional Secretariat (DS) division request the agricultural authorities to provide them with good quality vegetable seeds at a reasonable price as the prices of imported vegetable seeds are very high.
They pointed out that the price of a kilogramme of imported tomato seeds is Rs. 245,000 while a kilogramme of pumpkin seeds is Rs. 39,500. A kilogramme of brinjal seeds and cabbage seeds is Rs. 78,000 and Rs. 130,000, respectively. “We cannot afford to purchase seeds at these prices,” they say.
Vegetable growers in the Kimbulwanaoya, Madahapola and Diddeniya areas in the Ibbagamuwa DS division hence made the request to agricultural authorities to take action before it is too late.
“When we purchase these vegetable seeds at exorbitant prices, we are forced by shop owners to purchase various insecticides as well. This is a trap that we have been caught in,” some vegetable growers in the Kimbulwanaoya Colony told the Daily News.
Farmers said indigenous varieties are the best as they do not need agrochemicals and organic fertilizers. “However, the imported varieties took over our cultivation. We did not understand its danger as the authorities did not warn us. On the other hand, the doors for those imported varieties were opened by the authorities themselves,” the farmers said. The farmers also said foreign exchange flows out during seed importation and foreign markets are taking over our seed market at an alarming rate. They said it is the high time for those agricultural authorities to render their services to the country by promoting indigenous seed varieties and enhancing their quality through experiments.
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