Vegetable demand in Sri Lanka has dropped sharply in the period following Cyclone Ditwah, according to a regional agricultural official who briefed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his visit to the Nuwara Eliya District. Prices initially spiked when access roads were blocked, but later fell as supply routes reopened and consumer demand weakened.
The Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture for Nuwara Eliya said 1,421 hectares of vegetables were damaged by floodwaters. Although the seasonal target was 8,085 hectares, vegetable production continues year-round with roughly 6,000 hectares in cultivation at any given time. He estimated that “about 20 to 30 per cent is damaged.”
Daily shipment volumes show the drop in demand. “Yesterday, 72,000 kilos left the area. On a normal day it is about 150,000 kilos,” the Deputy Director said in a video published by Sri Lanka Mirror. With retail markets in the lowlands not fully functioning, buying activity has slowed. As a result, prices have softened: “Today carrot was 200 rupees a kilo, leeks were 200, and cabbage was 130,” equivalent to around US$0.55, US$0.55, and US$0.36 per kilo. “We have a big supply, but there are no sales down below,” he added.
President Dissanayake inquired whether transport bottlenecks were restricting the movement of produce to other regions. The Deputy Director responded that transport had largely returned to normal, noting that the dynamics differ from those of the Dambulla economic centre, where trade is routed through auction-style commission agents.
He further explained that vegetable prices typically rise in December and January, and again in June and July. “This is the period when vegetable prices should go up, but it is now at normal levels,” he said.
As of December 8, the Disaster Management Centre estimated that around 611,000 families—nearly 2 million people—had been affected by the cyclone. Many households were displaced or occupied with cleaning damaged homes. Domestic tourism had stalled, foreign tourist arrivals were down 20 per cent year-on-year, and much of the public’s attention had shifted toward relief efforts.
Most village pola markets were not operating immediately after the cyclone, and consumers were avoiding towns, agricultural officials said. They expect conditions to evolve as daily life gradually returns to normal. Several retail sectors also reported lower sales, although supermarkets saw dry rations and bottled water quickly sell out due to demand for relief distribution.
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