TN farmers abandon watermelon on fields as demand dips in lockdown

Watermelon, which has a 55-60 day crop cycle, begins turning yellow after the 60th day.
TN farmers abandon watermelon on fields as demand dips in lockdown
TN farmers abandon watermelon on fields as demand dips in lockdown
Written by:

Around this time every year, pushcarts bearing juicy watermelons and muskmelons line every corner of Chennai city. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown in place across the country, this sign of summer has been missing. Meanwhile, the scene in the farming fields is heartbreaking.

Farmers in Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram districts who grow these melons are facing a tough time with reducing demand. “A lot of these fruits go to the juice making industry - restaurants, juice shops, tea shops, and the likes. But now with the lockdown, farmers are unable to move their produce. They are now abandoning full-grown fruits in their fields,” says Alladi Mahadevan, an organic farmer from the region.

“Their main demand is for the government to allow juice shops to function," he adds.

Alladi Mahadevan, who has been an organic farmer since 1995, does multi-cropping on his 36 acres of land in Chengalpattu district. While he is doing fine, the same can't be said for farmers in five villages surrounding his land.

“I'm talking about 500 acres of watermelon and muskmelon farms going to waste,” he says.

Watermelon, which has a 55-60 day crop cycle, begins turning yellow after the 60th day. Therefore, it is important for the farmers to move their produce within a few days from picking. When asked if the government’s cold storage facilities can be used for this purpose, Alladi says, “These are small farmers who own just a few acres and have taken loans to do cultivation. Without being able to sell their fruits now, they won’t be able to sustain.”

Watermelon, which is usually sold for Rs 15 per kilo by farmers, is now fetching them only Rs 2.50 to Rs 4. “In the city, the fruit is sold between Rs 25 and Rs 30 per kilo usually. But now, in the city itself, it is being sold for Rs 10 per kilo. I have been sticking posters about this, asking people to sell it for the usual price. How will the farmer survive if it's sold for less than its production cost? Rs 2.50 is practically nothing,” he adds.

Speaking to TNM, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Agricultural Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary, acknowledges the problems faced by watermelon farmers. “We have been giving it a lot of push. In our meetings with wholesale sellers and retailers, we have been asking especially to boost the sale of watermelons. The Horticulture Department too has been adding watermelons to its fruit kits on the eThottam website so its sale is increased,” he says.

The Horticulture Department launched the eThottam website on which residents can place orders for fruits and vegetables. The Principal Secretary is referring to these assorted fruit baskets that come with apples, banana, oranges, guavas, mangoes, papaya, grapes, pomegranate, etc.

“Moreover, the Chennai Corporation has been operating over 4,000 pushcarts so watermelon too is being taken to the streets. We have reduced the pressure on the non-sale of these fruits. Also, every day, we are sending loads to Andhra Pradesh. We are giving the best push to sell the watermelons,” he adds.

According to the Principal Secretary, the demand for muskmelons has increased now, and the problem with the watermelons too has been reduced to a great extent.

However, on the farmers' request to allow juice shops to function, he remains negative. “Hygiene and delivery is an issue. It involves a lot of hassle in terms of packing and delivery which is inadvisable at this point. We will not be able to allow that," he says.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com