Horticulture dept. to the rescue of pineapple growers

It facilitates marketing, transport of 165 tonnes of produce to Ahmedabd, Jaipur, Mumbai, Wayanad

Pineapple being loaded in a lorry at Totattady village in Belthangady taluk.

Amid lockdown, the Department of Horticulture facilitated the marketing of about 165 tonnes of pineapple grown by farmers in Dakshina Kannada in the last fortnight.

The department ensured that loads of fruit from Belthangady and Moodbidri taluks in the district were sent to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Wayanad.

The farmers in the two taluks who had cultivated it on a large scale had begun marketing the produce on small quantity from March itself. But the lockdown later in the month dashed their hopes. If some faced transportation issues many found it difficult to find wholesale purchasers.

“We started addressing the both and we will continue to do it,” H.R. Nayak, Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture, told

The Hindu .

Mr. Nayak said some large-scale farmers found it difficult to market loads of pineapple harvested. The department contacted the wholesale purchasers in other States and linked them with those farmers who could not find purchasers. In some cases the farmers who had already found the purchasers could not transport the produce due to the border issues. The department addressed it also.

He said that the farmers had cultivated Queen and Moreish varieties used for the table. As the two varieties are not well suited for canning and processing they need to be marketed without waiting for long.

The Deputy Director said that 161 hectares are under pineapple in the district and the harvesting continues up to July. If farmers still faced any issues they can contact the department which will arrange for the marketing link.

Shaiju, a farmer who has grown pineapple on about 80 acres in Totattady village in Belthangady taluk, told The Hindu that the department helped in addressing the transportation issues and finding the market.

But due to many factors linked to the lockdown the prices have dropped this year. The growers got between ₹40 and ₹44 a kg during the same season last year. Now they are getting only ₹13 to ₹15. “If pineapple cultivation is to become profitable farmers should get at least ₹30 per kg” Mr. Shaiju said.

“I suffered a loss of ₹35 lakh for April alone,” he added.