As people from all walks of life respond robustly to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s call to increase food production farmers have said falling price of banana and some of the other produces is of great concern.
Nendran variety of banana, which is a key crop for thousands of farmers in the State, is fetching only ₹21 to 22 a kg in the farmers’ markets in some areas of Ernakulam.
Even though price is at rock-bottom there is hardly any buyer in the market, said Thomas Payappilly in Puthenvelikkara, near here on Monday.
The price is not remunerative as producing a kg of banana costs nearly ₹40, said T. O. George in Koovappadi. He said that nendran banana was selling at ₹28 to 30 in the farmers’ market but that is not good enough to help farmers continue their work.
Sources in the know of price movements in the vegetable market said that nendran banana price had not moved up this year with the price hovering around ₹40 a kg in the retail market.
That is a burden for farmers, who have to invest heavily in their crops, said Mr. Thomas. A labourer costs ₹800 to ₹850 per day. Providing fertilizer, plant care and protection involve other costs. Farmers must be ensured at least ₹40 a kg as the basic price, he added.
While the price of banana is a pointer to the continuing pain for farmers amid the anti-COVID-19 restrictions, the price of other crops too are not remunerative, said Mr. George. Snake gourd was fetching only ₹12 a kg while the price of produces like bitter ground, pumpkin too ruled low in the wholesale market, he added.
Nendran banana cultivation has surged in the State with the remunerative prices for the crop during festival seasons like Onam. The total acreage under the crop in 2018-19 stood at nearly 53,000 hectares with a production of over more than lakh tonnes in the State.
Agencies like Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council and Kudumbashree mission too have encouraged farmers to go in for the crop.
Farmers under the Kudumbashree joint liability groups have brought 1,481 hectares in Ernakulam under banana cultivation while VFPCK farmers have brought 2,100 hectares under cultivation for different varieties of bananas.