Each year, R. M. Jayatilleke, along with his son and a group of fellow villagers, transports several truckloads of Christmas trees from Bandarawela in the Badulla district to Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. This year, however, their district was heavily impacted by Cyclone Ditwah.
“The roads were cleared, and we had no problem coming to Colombo from Bandarawela,” he stated. “But some other areas were badly hit.”
The Christmas trees, which are commonly set up and decorated in Christian and other homes during the festive season, are a species of cypress that grow in the Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts. Jayatilleke purchases these trees from farmers who cultivate them specifically for the Christmas season.
“They grow the tree for about two years,” he explained, referring to trees that reach a height of 6 to 7 feet. “Some people also grow them along the fences of vegetable farms. We buy them and bring them to Colombo.”
“This is the only use for the trees. So, the farmers wait for us to come. If we did not buy the trees, they would have no way of selling them.”
Jayatilleke recalled another challenging year when the Christmas tree farmers almost faced a lack of sales. “During the COVID crisis, we decided not to come,” he recounted. “A lot of customers in Colombo called us, but we said it was too dangerous.”
He continued, “Then one lady, a long-term customer, told me, ‘So that is also not going to be here this year.’ I then realized that she was feeling very down. So, we loaded my truck and brought some trees.”
