THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Covid-19 threat and the ensuing three-week lockdown have dealt hundreds of farmers in the district a massive blow. Unable to harvest or sell their crop on time, many farmers have no choice but to destroy them. However, Horticorp, Agriculture Department and Vegetable and Fruits Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) is busy finding ways to help farmers.There are 24 farmer markets (with 6,000 members) in the district under VFPCK but a majority of them are not operational now owing to the lockdown.
According to officials, banana farmers are the worst-hit and the authorities are struggling to market 18 tonnes of red bananas (chenkadali or kappa pazham) harvested during the lockdown. Red bananas are cultivated in large quantities during this time of the year to meet the demands of the festival season.
The farmers at Vellayani who cultivate long bean, ivy gourd, banana and spinach are uprooting their crops as there are no takers for their produce. “We were supposed to harvest these crops about two weeks ago. Now my crops have turned inconsumable and nobody will buy them,” said Saju R, who has been into farming for three decades at Punchakkari in Vellayani.
“I cultivate in a 90-cent land and we are supposed to receive `10,000 per 10-cent after harvesting. I have lost crops worth `90,000 because of the lockdown,” said Saju, who uprooted spinach recently. Santhi R, another farmer, cursed her fate. “All our efforts have gone to waste. There are no buyers and we have no option but to destroy the crops. We have to clear the land and ready it so that we can sow new seeds, I don’t have money to buy new seeds even,” she said.
A VFPCK official said efforts are on to market the produces of local farmers online. “We have tied up with online platforms selling groceries. Fruit kits are currently marketed online. It will comprise three types of bananas weighing 3kg each. We sell each kit at `100. We sold nearly one tonne bananas via online,” said the official. “A large section of the farmers are marketing the produces independently eyeing more profit. Now they are unable to sell them,” the official added.
IN A NUTSHELL
● A majority of the 24 farmer markets in the district under Vegetable and Fruits Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) are currently not operational
● Banana farmers are the worst-hit. Authorities are struggling to market 18 tonnes of red bananas
● VFPCK is busy finding ways to help farmers