Influence of the Restriction of Agro-chemical Supply on Sri Lankan Agriculture: A Case Study on Vegetable Production at Hanguranketha Divisional Secretariat

Abstract

The central hill country of Sri Lanka is the backbone of vegetable production. Two main groups of vegetables are grown in Sri Lanka based on agroecological adaptability. The upcountry (hilly areas) vegetables constitute crops belong to Cruciferaceae and Solanaceae families which are grown at a commercial scale with the application of high rate of external inputs. Up-country vegetable cultivation is popular in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kandy and Matale districts within the central highland of Sri Lanka. However, the output (yield) and profit substantially varied during the period of COVID-19 pandemic affected Sri Lanka in 2020 and also during the economic crisis followed by (in 2021/22). The resultant impact on the socio-economic structure of agricultural areas affected the vegetable crop value chains largely. Therefore, the present study was done to identify and assess the socio-economic feasibility of field vegetable production in the Hanguranketha AGA division during 2020-22, particularly under agro-chemical import ban imposed by the government in 2021. Altogether 51 small scale commercial vegetable farm units were selected using simple random sampling strategy from a designated population of 100 farmers. The pre-tested questionnaire-based survey key informant interviews and finally one-to-one meetings were conducted to collect primary data from vegetable farmers about their cost of cultivation and income generation. Fertilizer prices were the main cause of increasing production costs under the restrictions in agro-chemical supply for all vegetable crops. Meanwhile increasing farm gate prices due to production setback contributed higher income, particularly for tomato and beans. Per farmer cost of cultivation and net income have shown a variability among different areas due to variability of the extent of cultivation in Hanguranketha, Sri Lanka during 2020-22 under the import ban on agro-chemicals.