Lockdown leaves papaya, banana farmers in limbo

Apr 16, 2020, 04:38 IST

Coimbatore: P V Arumugam, a farmer in Gandhavayal village in Sirumugai near the city, had decided to cultivate papayas for the first time this season and planted 3,000 Red Lady variety on four acres of his land. The trees bore fruit and late in March, were ready to be harvested.
Then came the nationwide lockdown.
With no farmhands to harvest the fruit and no means of transportation, the fruits are on the verge of getting wasted, said Arumugam. “I had invested Rs 4 lakh expecting to get a profit of Rs 10 lakh. Even if I manage to take it to the market, traders want only 200 to 300 kilograms. Also, the market is open only till 10am due to the restriction in place,” he told TOI.
M Ammasaikutti, another farmer in the village, said on normal days, they could expect a kilogram of papaya to fetch about Rs 20. “But now, the price has fallen to less thanRs 10,” he said.
As much as 2,000 acres in the region is under banana cultivation. “Varieties such as sevvazhai, nendran and kathali are cultivated here. A part of the banana crop is ready for harvest. But as there is no transport, ripe banana also faces the risk of being wasted,” said Ammasaikutti. “Price of banana has fallen by Rs 10 to Rs 20.”
Meanwhile, horticulture department officials promised to help the farmers. Block-level officials will intervene and help the farmers sell their produce, an official told TOI.