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Kerala: Bumper harvest but poor returns

A daily wages labourer with BSNL for the last 16 years, Mr Babu had been in vegetable farming for close to a decade now.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Come Vishu season, it is the bumper crop of Kani Vellari or yellow cucumber for farmers in Karinchapadi Padasekhara Samithi in Malappuram. But unfortunately, farmer Ameer Babu, 39, who cropped a whopping 105-ton cucumber, had to sell it for Rs 11 per kilo as against a procurement price of Rs 18 fixed by the agriculture and farmers welfare department. A daily wages labourer with BSNL for the last 16 years, Mr Babu had been in vegetable farming for close to a decade now.

Recently, he was in the news when he had a bumper harvest of the big onion, beetroot and carrot which was otherwise being harvested in the hilly regions of Vattavada panchayat in Idukki. Usually, Kani Vellari is cultivated in Karinchapadi Padasekhara Samithi and Angadippuram Padasekhara Samithi in Malappuram. Mr Babu recalled that last year there was not much demand for his cucumber during Vishu season. “Last year I experienced almost '3. 5 lakh losses in cucumber cultivation as there was a dearth of markets. This time I could sell cucumber for '11 per kilo as that was the spot price. I am not aware of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification prescribed by the agriculture department,” he told DC.

A second generation farmer, he had received 75 percent subsidy from the agriculture department towards drip irrigation, and he spent Rs 4 lakh towards cucumber cultivation in an 8.5-acre area (seven acres on lease) in Kuruva panchayat. Though he had met loss on the first harvesting of cucumber now, he is hoping that the next harvesting can be reaped with rich dividends. Apart from cucumber, he is eagerly looking forward to harvest watermelon, tomato and long beans as well. Meanwhile, a top agriculture department official told DC that there had been two sets of prices for procurement of cucumber fixed by the department. “Agriculture officers can increase 10 percent from the original price if the cucumber is not GAP certified. If it is GAP certified, then it can be increased to 20 percent. But what Ameer Babu received is not at all a decent price for his hard work,” he said.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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