Karnataka Farmers Are Going Bananas
Shivamogga, Karnataka (ANI): Banana farmers in Shivamogga say their crop is rotting as they were not being harvested due to the lockdown and they are incurring huge losses.
The farmers alleged that the local buyers are forcing the farmers to sell their produce at ridiculously low prices.
"Local buyers are asking us to sell bananas at Rs 4-5 per kg which is impossible for us. I do not know what we can do," according to Vijayendra, a farmer. "We expected the markets to be good during the summer season, I have cultivated bananas in four acres of land. There are thousands of other farmers who cultivate it in smaller hoardings," he added. The farmers in the district are asking the government to ensure there is an open market and inter-district movement of agricultural produce is allowed to ensure the farmers get the right price. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from March 24 midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. Unless the government intervenes the situation will go from bad to worse for farmers like Vijayendra as in all likelihood, the nationwide lockdown will be further be extended after April 14, based on the statements from several chief ministers following a video conference with the Prime Minister held a few days earlier.
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"Local buyers are asking us to sell bananas at Rs 4-5 per kg which is impossible for us. I do not know what we can do," according to Vijayendra, a farmer. "We expected the markets to be good during the summer season, I have cultivated bananas in four acres of land. There are thousands of other farmers who cultivate it in smaller hoardings," he added. The farmers in the district are asking the government to ensure there is an open market and inter-district movement of agricultural produce is allowed to ensure the farmers get the right price. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from March 24 midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. Unless the government intervenes the situation will go from bad to worse for farmers like Vijayendra as in all likelihood, the nationwide lockdown will be further be extended after April 14, based on the statements from several chief ministers following a video conference with the Prime Minister held a few days earlier.
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