MYSURU: The days when farmers wore smiles on their faces, exploring various modern methods of cultivation, are long gone. They instead bear a despondent air, living in times when even bumper crops fetch low prices.

Farmers who borrowed money to sow traditional crops or try commercial crops or horticulture are buried deep in debt. With prices of 1 kg vegetable remaining as low as Rs 15 for chilli, Rs 17 for beans, and Rs 9 for beetroot, they are struggling to pay labour costs of Rs 3-4 per kg, besides other expenses. A farmer invests over Rs 30,000 per acre on beans while earning less than Rs 15,000.

Even a bumper crop like cabbage hasn’t brought cheer for farmers who spent Rs 40,000 per acre but got Rs 12,000 per tonne, pushing some to resort to desperate measures. Fearing loss and not able to invest on harvesting it, some have even ploughed the fields with the crop standing, convincing themselves that it would at least serve as manure for next year.

Shivu, a trader, however, said that they fix the vegetable prices based on the market prices in Talwadi and Sathyamangalam markets in Tamil Nadu, adding that prices may shoot up during Sankaranthi/ Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Christmas in Kerala.

The crash in prices is also disheartening to those who own banana plantations, which are spread over thousands of acres in Chamrajnagar and Mysuru districts. The price of banana (Valakki and Nendra) has collapsed to Rs 23 from Rs 40-43 per kg.

“I spent Rs 20,000 on manure for my banana crop in 1.5 acres, besides the cost of labour and tilling. But the prices crashed when I started harvesting it recently,” said Basavanna from Chatra. He added that though they had satisfactory yield of bittergourd, snakegourd, chilli and okra, he was forced to sell it at Rs 10 a kg.

It is no different for Rajappa, who has grown turmeric in four acres in Srirangapura village. “I have been suffering losses for two years, and would give up commercial and horticulture crops if I don’t get better prices for turmeric,” he said. Recalling that he could not recover the costs after selling onion for Rs 3 a kg, he said that the government’s claim of checking middlemen’s intervention is flawed as the local buyers decide on prices as per their wish.

Cotton growers in H D Kote and Hunsur taluk voice similar concerns. Shira Sagar, a resident of Beechanahlli, said that the price of cotton per quintal is Rs 6,000. But not much of it can be saved as the crop requires too much labour intervention and manure. ““As usual, farmers are keeping their hopes alive by looking at the next crop,” Sagar said.

Sugarcane growers in Mandya-Mysuru and Chamrajnagar cite delay in harvesting orders and payments. The crop, which was supposed to be harvested after 12 months, has not been harvested after 15 months, as farmers await factory permission. The farm loan, taken at 4 per cent interest, would also rise to the 13 per cent slab, if the harvesting is delayed beyond 12 months, they point out. “How will we survive if there is no control over factories,” asked a farmer, Veerathappa.