Mysuru: The outbreak of
Nipah virus in neighbouring Kerala, where more than 10 people have died of the disease, has resulted in demand for
fruits, particularly seasonal ones such as
mangoes, tumbling. Fruit vendors who were selling a mid-sized jackfruit for Rs 60 to Rs 80 are being forced to give them away for Rs 20 to Rs 30.
Demand for mangoes and bananas too has crashed. The price of raspuri mangoes, which were being sold for Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kilogram a fortnight ago, has fallen to Rs 30/kg. Bananas, meanwhile, are being sold at Rs 20/kg.
“We are at the end of the season, and we generally do not expect a lot of profit, owing to quality-related issues. But this year, owing to the
Nipah scare, there is hardly any demand. False assumptions about fruits having bite marks of birds are causing the problem,” said Purushottam Rao, owner of a mangrove in Nanjangud.
However, fruit vendors are more concerned with the dip in demand. “There are hardly any customers for fruits. Rain is also adding to the woes of both cultivators and vendors,” said Malatamma, a vendor at Nanjunalige vegetable market.
She lamented the apprehensions among customers about buying jackfruits, although there was no relevant connection to Nipah. “There is no connection between Kerala and
jackfruits supplied from Hunsur, but people are worried about the fever,” Malatamma added.
Any possible contact with bats appears to be on the minds of both cultivators and vendors. Vijay Suvarna, a fruit vendor in Jayalakshmipuram, said, “Seasonal fruits such as mangoes and jackfruits have multiple marks and customers are rejecting them. As a result, prices have crashed.”