Banana has suddenly turned into an important fruit in the district, thanks to unprecedented demand during marriage and house-warming ceremonies.
As there are no ‘muhurtams’ for marriage and other auspicious occasions between April 27 and July 25, hundreds of marriages are being performed in the district this month. Cashing in on the demand, the middlemen have jacked up the prices of banana in the market. A bunch of bananas is sold between Rs.400 and Rs.550, depending upon the quality. During off-season, each bunch is sold for Rs.180. With huge demand for the fruit now, the traders are sourcing it from Ravulapalem in East Godavari district.
The traders say that they have to make profits only during the current season as there would be no buyers once the marriage season is over. “Trades in Ravulapalem have also increased the prices suddenly, forcing us to sell the fruit at abnormal rates. Marriage parties are paying the extra amount as they have no other option,” said K. Rajarao, a trader of Karajada market located near Narasannapeta.
During off-season, there is no need to source banana from East Godavari, as it is a major crop in Srikakulam district. The fruit is grown in places like Narasannapeta, Amadalavalasa, Tekkali, and Nandigama.
The crop harvested in these places has a good market in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal. In fact, banana prices have hit a five-year low in Srikakulam district with sales dipping during ‘Ashadham’ and ‘Adhika Ashadam’ (June-July 2015) when people tend not to perform auspicious events. During Godavari Pushkarams the prices of banana hit rock bottom.
