Peanut farmers face difficulties as buying prices drop

Local peanut farmers are facing severe difficulties due to the drop in buying prices alongside the peanut harvest, our reporters state.

It is mentioned that the peanut crop cultivated on land provided by the government to people who gave land for the Laggala Kaluganga and Moragahakanda reservoirs is currently being harvested.

Farmers point out that they are unable to recover even their production cost due to the drop in buying prices for purchasing the harvest.

Farmers say they started this cultivation again this season because a successful price was received for the peanut harvest in previous seasons.

However, farmers point out that a kilo of dried peanuts that sold at a price between Rs. 500 and Rs. 600 dropped to between Rs. 350 and Rs. 370 with the start of harvesting.

Their view is that a high cost and effort must be borne for production activities, including cultivating peanuts and harvesting.

Peanut farmers in the Laggala area in Matale point out that considering all factors, such as a kilo of peanut seeds remaining at a high price between Rs. 850 and Rs. 1,000, labor wages for harvesting being very high, and the effort required to dry peanuts, a profit can be made only if a minimum price between Rs. 500 and Rs. 600 per kilo of dried peanuts is received.

They warn that they will withdraw from peanut cultivation in the future if a proper price is not received in this manner.

It is significant that many people withdrew from those cultivations due to not receiving a proper price when farmers in the Laggala area cultivated crops such as mung beans, soybeans, cowpeas, and sesame in the past.

Therefore, peanut farmers request that authorities to pay attention to this issue promptly.