Fuel shortages: Farmer woes rise

05 Mar 2022

Fuel shortages: Farmer woes rise

05 Mar 2022

By Maneesha Dullewe Shortages in fuel supplies reported from all parts of the country last week brought most agricultural machinery and agricultural activities to a halt. Farmers were unable to harvest their crops or engage in agricultural work as a result. With farmers having to pay more for fuel, the production costs of agricultural products continue to increase. According to All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation Chairman Namal Karunaratne, the ongoing fuel crisis in the island has hamstrung the time-sensitive crop cycle at every stage, with the difficulties in securing fuel stalling the production process, beginning with the essential machinery used by farmers. Complications in obtaining fuel at the pump due to scarcity-related issues has rendered it nearly impossible for farmers to keep these machines running, he explained. Farming requires fuel for all machinery and equipment from tractors, combine harvesters used at the harvesting stage, grass cutters, water motors, and assorted water machines, to the motor bicycles typically used by farmers, he noted. Moreover, farmers use lamps when they watch over the crops at night, and these lamps are typically powered by kerosene. “Farmers do not refuel these machines and equipment by bringing them to the fuel sheds. Although they can technically travel in the tractors to the fuel sheds, farmers typically live too far from the sheds for this to be convenient. Therefore, farmers tie a can to their motor bicycles and drive to the sheds, fill up the tanks and transfer the fuel to their machinery and equipment.” Accordingly, these unique circumstances of the farming community have compounded the issues created by the present fuel shortage. “The issue at present is that farmers must wait in long queues to refuel their machinery. Then, fuel sheds refuse to provide fuel to cans. Here the farmer faces a significant injustice,” he said, noting that fuel sheds had to prioritise vehicles, which left farmers without fuel for their heavy and smaller machinery. He further explained that as they had entered the crop harvesting stage of the Maha season, the fuel shortage had intensified farmers’ anxieties about being able to complete harvesting since the machines were liable to run out of fuel at any moment. Additionally, as farmers typically hire the machines used to harvest the crops, the increased costs of renting the required machinery added to the present troubles. “If the crops are not harvested on time during the harvesting cycle, there is a greater likelihood of the crops being destroyed. If crops undergo prolonged exposure to the sun, the stalks become heavy and the seeds will fall. As the crops will have wilted due to the delay in harvesting, the movement of the harvesting machine will cause more seeds to fall to the ground thus leading to further wastage. This is in addition to the higher propensity for damage from wild animals the longer the crops are left unattended.” Karunaratne further noted that the ongoing fuel-related concerns would affect future farming seasons. “The farmer needs to prepare the land for the Yala season at this stage. For this they will require fuel to operate the machines that will cut the grass, water the land, and undertake the harvesting.” He explained that the tractors and other harvesting machines used by farmers required diesel, while the motor bicycles used for their transport as well as grass cutting machines required petrol. Additionally, farmers who used machines for irrigation of their crops required kerosene and occasionally diesel, while also requiring kerosene for the lamps they use at night to guard the crops. Karunaratne stressed that the prevailing fuel crisis had befallen the farmer while other previously existing issues faced by the agriculture sector remained unresolved. According to him, the scarcity and price hikes of fertilisers and agrochemicals, the shortage of seeds and prevalence of substandard seeds in the market, as well as an impending water shortage likely to be faced by farmers harvesting for the upcoming season due to having diverted the water in tanks for power generation, were all factors that were aggravated by the onset of fuel-related difficulties. “While the farmer remains besieged by all these issues, the fuel issue arrived as if to make a bad situation worse,” Karunaratne asserted, noting: “Against this backdrop, the upcoming Yala season harvest has been rendered extremely uncertain.” The island’s ongoing fuel shortage amidst its persisting economic crisis has worsened following the oil price surge to over $ 100 per barrel in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Facing a shortage of dollars to import the necessary stocks of fuel, the Government has been hard pressed to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fuel to all sectors of the country, and the ramifications of this upon the agriculture sector have resulted in steadily increasing food prices. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage told The Sunday Morning last Friday (4) that contingency plans were in place to deal with the present situation through the implementation of a priority system for farmers through the respective District Secretariats. “I have informed all District Secretariats in Jaffna, Nuwara Eliya, and Badulla to provide the necessary fuel for those engaged in agricultural production. We are issuing separate coupons for this for now, and there is no issue at present. Apart from a few minor concerns, there are no significant issues regarding transport either. All Government Agents will be given permits to ensure the transport of vegetables,” the Minister stated.

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Fuel shortages: Farmer woes rise

Fuel shortages: Farmer woes rise

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