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by Chandra Edirisuriya

A large percentage of the fruits in this country is plucked before maturity and wasted. Dealers from the urban areas buy or take on lease the whole crop at a pittance from villagers. The tender fruits thus harvested have to be smoked or chemically ripened. Fruits ripened in this manner are neither palatable nor nutritious. Owing to consumer resistance a large percentage of the fruits cannot be sold and is thrown away.

Heaps of Durian fruit, classed as the best fruit in the world, could be seen discarded by vendors at the Kadugannawa climb. It is so in the case of most other fruits like Avocado, Mangoes and Citrous fruits.

This compounds the situation where most of the local fruits are grown today using agro-chemicals unlike 50 years ago when fruits were grown or just grew in large home gardens, coconut estates, tea estates and meadows. Pineapples called 'gal annasi' grew wild on rocks even in rubber estates. In the upcountry Pears, Peaches, Lockets Seville or Marmalade Oranges and even Apples were grown in tea estate areas.

In the low country indigenous species of mango like Rata Amba, Betti Amba, Gira Amba, Mee Amba, Dampara, Pol Amba etc. grew in home gardens. Varieties like Walu Amba, Pilikuttu Amba even grew in the wild. Walu Amba or Bunch mangoes had about 50 fruits in each bunch and Pilikutta Amba was restricted to the area around Pilikuttuwa Raja Maha Viharaya in Gampaha district which is famous for the ancient rock cave paintings. Pilikuttu Amba was also in bunches, the fruits taking a bright yellow colour when ripe. These varieties are now almost extinct, the trees having been felled for timber.

There was a Pol Amba tree about 100 feet tall in the compound of my ancestral home at Gampaha and its fruits in the shape of Betti Amba were as large as medium sized papaws and turned a brilliant-yellow when ripe. My father used to bring down a bunch by shooting with his 12 bore shot gun at the auspicious time of lighting the kitchen hearth every New Year Day.

We also had in our garden and even in our rubber land every kind of Mango. There was a half an acre plot of Pineapples and another half acre of Bananas in addition to beli, divul, anona pomegranate, passion fruit, damson, jak, papaw and citrous fruits. On a vist to Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, around 1950, my father brought a Guava plant and planted in our garden. Not only did in bear many large fruits with rose coloured flesh the year round, for a long time but also spread to all parts of the garden by seed as well as by roots and after a few years there were always about 25 guava trees at any one time.

Times have changed. Owing to fragmentation of land there are no large gardens now. The people have to depend on fruits available in the market. Most fortunately fruits are grown under irrigation in the Mahaweli areas and in the chenas in the dry zone. These fruits like water melon, honey dew melon, sweet melon, cantaloupe melon are sold in the market during season. These fruits and wet zone fruits like mangosteen and rambuttan are well ripened before they are harvested. Fruits are the most natural food because they can be eaten uncooked. Drinks and sherbets of the highest quality can be prepared with most of the fruits by the addition of sugar, salt, milk etc. The authorities concerned should without any further delay take steps to prevent this wanton destruction of natures bounty.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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