The lifting of the import ban on vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, leeks, beans and fruits such as bananas, pineapples, melons and avocados which are grown abundantly in Sri Lanka would be detrimental to the local farmers, consumers, and the national economy, Professor Buddhi Marambe of the Crop Science Department at the Peradeniya University said.
Professor Marambe emphasized that it is problematic to allow the import of crops when the same crops are being harvested in the country.
“What should be done is to import only vegetables and fruits that are in short supply,” he said.
The professor pointed out that on the 15th of every month, the Department of Agriculture makes a crop forecast and import decisions should be made accordingly.
He said that taking unwise political decisions instead of scientific decisions is harmful to the country. “This is why the country has fallen into an abyss,” he said.
Cucumbers to be imported?
