Elephantine wastage

Posted on March 27, 2008 / 8 Comments

Last week, Lankadeepa, the largest selling daily in Sri Lanka, published this photo of elephants eating the unsold vegetables at Dambulla econimic centre. The waste: 25 tons. The loss: entirely to farmers, according to Lankadeepa, as the vendors purchase them on credit and pay only for sold quantities.

Primary wastage in vegetables and fruits is estimated to be more than 40% of the output in Sri Lanka. In other agri products it is more than 20% (Devagiri, 2005) While the reasons can vary, there is no doubt proper planning and management can reduce it. That is what knowledge economy is all about. Not necessarily taking people out from their occupations, but making the business processes more productive with the use of information.

Two references to our past research are below. We still have a long way to go.

Agriculture Workshop presentation
Do farmers benefit from maintaining traceability standards

By the way, our apologies to elephants. Guess you guys can find something else than eating vegetables meant for human consumption.

8 Comments

Api Wawamu
March 28, 2008, 9:39 am
So much for LK government’s Api Wawamu Rata Hadamu program. Wish it is only a propganda tamasha. If they really do it, it is the ‘elephants’ who will get the benifits. You know what I mean. Unplanned work will help the ‘elephants’ more than the citizens.
Thusitha Dandeniya
March 28, 2008, 11:56 am
In the ancient periods we grew for export markets. That is how we became the ‘granary’ of the east. Even colonial powers correctly realised this potential. Portuguese made people grow spices, Dutch cinnamon and British coffee, tea and rubber. None of these was intended for local market.

Export market is the only way to make agriculture a decent occupation. Unless they grow products to export market, farmers are not going to make any money. Price controls etc are obsolete, temporary and stupid ‘solutions’.

During Parakramabahu’s period rice might have been an expensive commodity, but now it has lost value in international market. Green revolution further made the rice prices come down. However, our rulers starting from Senanayakes kept on pushing paddy cultivation – perhaps first due the rice shortages we experiences during WWII and then for exploiting its popularity for political purposes. That will not take us anywhere.

Even today, as JVP correctly points out, those who make money from paddy cultivation are Araliya and Nipuna mudalalis, and not farmers. What JVP does not understand is that imbalance cannot be addressed by state intervention. The only way farmers can be taken out of the trap is to make them grow products for export market.

So ‘Api vavamu Rata hadamu’ will never work under a regime that focuses only on local markets and completely ignore international potential.
Parakramabahu
March 28, 2008, 1:26 pm
let alone vegetables, even if the oil is found in mannar basin under this government, lanka cannot see any development. we can see another nigeria here. our politicos are so stupid and corrupt we will lose the benifeits. minister fowzie is already locking horns with central bank on oil issue. he wants the absolute control over oil.
Punchi putha
March 28, 2008, 1:39 pm
OMG! I thought Kaba Raala uncle was only printing money. Did not know he was drilling oil too.

What will he do next? Distill arrack?
Chanuka
March 29, 2008, 2:07 pm
This cartoon is from ‘Lakbima’ – a Sinhala daily in Sri Lanka.

The famer (left) says he feels suicidal when he sees the (low) prices of paddy. The consumer (right) agrees.

The question is how that happens. How BOTH the farmers and consumers suffer? Shouldn’t at least one benefit?

I have my own answer (not the traditional ‘middleman takes all’ theory) but first like to hear the views of others.
bandula gunawardena
March 29, 2008, 7:13 pm
wait wait wait. i will solve this problem soon. i will start both economic centers and budget shops inside paddyfield to eleminate the middleman.
Nuwan
March 31, 2008, 7:38 pm
This must be inline with the recently inaugurated ‘Pilisaru’ Program … read about it — http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/March25130828CH.html
Vikalpa
April 3, 2008, 10:05 am
Vilakpa has three relevant videos here.

http://www.vikalpa.org/archives/479