Cool season vegetables from Vattavada and Kanthallur may not reach the Vishu/Easter market as farmers have stopped supply to Horticorp, as the procurement agency has run up heavy dues.
President of the Vattavada Cool Season Vegetable Producers Marketing Society K.Jayaprakash told The Hindu that the farmers stopped supplying vegetables to Horticorp a month ago as it owed ₹24.5 lakh to the society. He said the agency had not paid its dues in the past three months.
There are nearly 1,700 farmers under the society, which procures vegetables directly from the farmers to be supplied to Horticorp.
Horticorp also owes ₹17 lakh to the Swayasraya Karshaka Vipani under the Vegetables Fruits Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) at Vattavada, from which it had purchased vegetables to meet the demand.
Normally, the Vishu/Easter season is not a prime market for vegetables from the two villages owing to low production. However, potato, carrot, cabbage, and butter beans reach the market which are sold mainly to traders from Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Jayaprakash said 20 to 30 tonnes of vegetables arrived weekly at Vattavada, with the production taking a hit in view of the drought this year.
At Kanthallur, the VFPCK stopped supply of vegetables on March 26 and the Kanthallur Cool Season Vegetable Producers Marketing Society ten days back as Horticorp owed ₹11 lakh to the VFPCK and the society.
Though Horticorp representatives approached the VFPCK market on Monday, the farmers said that they would not supply vegetables to the agency unless the dues were cleared.
Chandrahasan, a farmer, said merchants reached the VFPCK market and purchased all vegetables. A major portion of the vegetables now went to the Tamil Nadu market before it reached Kerala. The vegetables from the two villages are known for quality and least application of fertilizers and pesticides.
