Marked drop in veggie prices

There is a drop in all vegetable prices at the Manning Market this month compared to the previous month with large supplies brought from Nuwara Eliya, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Matale and Embilipitiya. According to Manning Market sources, large quantities of vegetables, including, beans, cucumber, snake bean, luffa, pumpkin, ladies fingers, Thai eggplant, wing beans, bitter gourd, carrot, cabbage, radish, lemon, beetroot and snake gourd have reached the Manning Market from Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya and the Jaffna Districts and prices have gone down.Prices of beans, cucumber, snake bean, luffa, pumpkin, ladies fingers, Thai eggplant, wing beans, bitter gourd, carrot, cabbage, radish, lemon, beetroot and snake gourd have come down to Rs 59, Rs 40, Rs 60, Rs 50, Rs 40, Rs 50, Rs 80 and Rs 80, Rs 130, Rs 140, Rs 70, Rs 10, Rs 40, Rs 100 and Rs 40 respectively.

"Prices of beans, cucumber, luffa, pumpkin, ladies fingers, radish and snake gourd have dropped significantly over the past few days, as large stocks of vegetables are received daily from areas in the South, North and East.

"On the other hand, farmers and those engaged in home gardening have cultivated similar varieties of vegetables which will give a yield within a couple of months.

"Vegetables are being cultivated in 1.5 million family units throughout the country, under the government's Divi Neguma programme, an official said.

These families cultivate five varieties of vegetables in their home gardens for their consumption while the excess is sold. This was another reason for the drop in vegetable prices and the increase in supply, Cooperatives and Internal Trade Ministry's official said.