TIRUCHY: Harvest is aplenty. But farmers do not get to eat the fruits of their labour. Credits: lockdown due to coronavirus. Farmers witnessed a bumper yield of black gram this season compared to the previous year.

Among all other pulses, black gram takes up a larger share of the area used for cultivation in the district, which are nearly 8,000 of the 12,000 hectares.

With the schemes initiated by the National Food Safety Mission, the farmers were able to reap a bountiful harvest (around 800 - 1000 kilos per hectare), according to agriculture department officials.

However, their joy was only short-lived as little did they expect of the shortcomings in the post-harvest phase - shortage of labour and price drop in the market.

Rajendran, a farmer from Tiruchy, said, "Due to lockdown, we are unable to find workers to separate pods from the plants. We ourselves have to pluck the whole plant, dry it out in the sun and bet the crop using sticks to separate the pod from the plant. Then, we take it to the markets."

He said that the market prices too dropped and fetched only Rs 50 per kg.

"I'm waiting for the lockdown to get over to sell it for a decent price in the market," he added.

Agrimarketing department offers help

In aiding the farmers, the Agriculture marketing department has asked them to bring black grams to the regulated markets in the district for selling it with the traders and food processing companies.

Sugumar, a senior official from Agriculture marketing department stated that the department has asked the farmers to bring their black grams to Manaachanallur regulatory market where it would be sold at Rs 70 per kg.