Transport hassles give farmers sleepless nights

BENGALURU: Grape growers from Bengaluru Rural, Urban and Chikkaballapur have been a worried lot during the lockdown. Different varieties of grapes like Sonaka, Dilkush, and Bangalore Blue, which are supposed to be sent to different states, are still in Karnataka, because of transportation hassles. Now, the horticulture department has asked the central government to intervene and ensure that the 1 lakh metric tonne of the fruit does not go waste.

“Even though the transportation of essential items has been eased on paper, the scenario is very different on the ground. With no takers, farmers are forced to dump their produce. To address this, the department has now asked the government to look into it,” said a department official. It is not just about grapes. According to department records, there are 6,48,000 metric tonnes of other fruits grown in other parts of the state, which have no takers.

B Venkatesh, horticulture director, told The New Indian Express, “Karnataka is a producing state and we have a surplus here, but no takers. Mango will soon be added to this list of fruits and vegetables. Hence, we wrote a letter to the central government three days ago. If we don’t get a reply in the next five to six days, we will ask the state government to take a final decision,” he said.

Citing the example of watermelons, he said, on an average, Bengaluru alone would consume 200-300 metric tonnes of watermelons a day. It would be used by roadside vendors, fruit juice stalls, hotels, and restaurants. However, now it is almost zero.

Around 40% of the North Indian market gets its fruits and vegetables from Karnataka, but now, transporting and reaching markets are the biggest challenges. Karnataka is facing similar problems while supplying these perishable items to Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Kerala. Venkatesh said it was the first time the state was facing such a situation and it was the first time the department had asked the Central government for help.