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Problems of farmers
Farmers are doing a great service to our country. We are not
producing our requirements. Except for those in the food production
sector, all the others, such as education and health sector workers are
well looked after. They get good salaries, social status, a good
standard of living and other facilities.
But the poor farmer is eternally suffering. The average farmer in our
country is very poor. They have a low standard of living, low education
facilities, no pension or EPF/ETF, poor health facilities and welfare
facilities.
Their main problem is their inability to sell their produce at a
reasonable price.
The middlemen buy a kilogram of beans from them at Rs 40/= and sell
it to the consumer at more than treble the price.
Who is benefitted in the end, it is not the farmer. But the
middlemen, the lorry operators, mudalalis, wholesale vegetable sellers
and, retail vegetable sellers, while the farmer is left in the lurch.
The relevant departments must take care of the farmer’s interests.
Very rarely do we talk about farmers. We talk about increasing
production, but often forget the farmer. There is no representative in
Parliament to highlight the farmer’s woes.
D. Weeratunga
Nugegoda.
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