Growers and buyers wilt as drought consumes vegetables

Inflow of raddish, carrot, brinjal and cauliflower has fallen steeply

As drought hits Kolar-Devanahalli-Ramanagaram region, the vegetable-growing belt around Bengaluru, both consumers and farmers are a harried lot. While growers are helplessly watching crops wilting, skyrocketing prices are making vegetables unaffordable for most Bengalureans.

The worst hit vegetables are tomatoes, gourds, beans and lady’s finger, apart from coconuts. The inflow of vegetables such as raddish, carrot, brinjal and cauliflower has fallen steeply, according to M. Muniraju, marketing supervisor, Kolar Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee. “There is simply no water,” he said.

Steep fall in tomato prices during September-December has led to fewer farmers sowing tomatoes in Kolar, but even this crop is hit by drought. “There is a large scale loss of tomatoes and the crop harvested this time is not of great quality. I have lost everything this season,” said Adireddy, a farmer from Chintamani.

A senior procurement official from a leading retail chain in the city said the arrival of quality tomatoes was down to a trickle leading to a surge in prices. A kg of tomato is being sold between ₹26 and ₹30 in the city.

Gourds affected too

The entire range of gourds, the main crop grown in Devanahalli-Chickballapur belt, has taken a severe beating too.

The average price of these gourds in the city retail markets is at an all-time high of about ₹60 to ₹65 per kg. “There is a severe shortage for even drinking water, and it’s no wonder agriculture has taken a back seat. Most of the tubewells have dried up rendering horticulture paralysed. We are buying drinking water,” lamented G. Muniswamy Gowda, a farmer from Devanahalli.

Irregular power supply has only worsened the situation. V. Jagadeesha, a farmer from Hoskote, said power is supplied for about three hours during night, which is often intermittent. “Only those who have got drip irrigation facility in their farms are saved from the ordeal. Even though you have water in the tubewells, it cannot be drawn without power supply,” he said.

Vegetable prices are traditionally low during December-March period, as it is the season of avarekai (field beans). However, this season, the arrival of avarekai in the city has come down to a meagre 20% to 30% of the usual. A kg of avarekai is still trading as high as ₹40, while by this time it should have been less than ₹15.

Unless there is rain in March, expected during Ugadi festival, the price of vegetables are only expected to skyrocket, making them scarce in the city and pushing farmers into further distress, said senior officials of HOPCOMs.