Vegetable growers bleed as prices plunge below production cost
   Date :25-May-2020

Vegetable growers _1 
 
 
 
By Niraj Chinchkhede :
 
 
Even as a big chunk of India’s population including migrant workers, labourers and other daily wage earners is already bearing the brunt of the ongoing lockdown, reports of many others passing through similar phase are pouring in. Take, for instance, farmers of the region who are grappling with the falling prices of vegetables. To add to their woes, the vegetable prices are slashing in the peak summer when they are supposed to go northwards. In addition, the prices fell so sharply for the vegetable growers that they are unable to recover their investment. The farmers are selling some of the varieties of vegetables like brinjal and tomatoes at the rate of Rs 2 to Rs 4 per kg to the retailers.
 

Vegetable _1  H 
 
 
Interestingly, the prevailing prices are less than the investment cost. Further, the farmers are also expected to the bear the transportation cost which is roughly in the range of Rs 1 to Rs 1.50 per kg. Ever since the strict measures to check spread of the novel corona virus were brought in, the vegetable supply mechanism has been witnessing disruption beyond one’s imagination. Thus the farmers, who hitherto sell the vegetables in the designated wholesale markets, are now havingno other option but to search for buyers on their own. This ‘unusual’ market scenario is forcing the farmers to sell veggies at throwaway prices. For the past couple of weeks, the farmers are selling ladies finger at a price of Rs 8-10 per kg to the retailers after spending Rs 10-12 to grow the vegetable. Same is the case with brinjal, tomato, capsicum, cauliflower and other varieties where the current price levels are very disheartening.
 
“I spent Rs 12-15 per kg to grow cauliflower in my farm in last two months. But on Friday I had to sell the crop at a price of Rs 10 per kg,” said Murlidhar Wagh, one of the farmers. Apart from cauliflower, Wagh also suffered heavy loss recently when he sold tomatoes at a price of Rs 2 per kg against its investment cost of Rs 2-3 per kg. Another farmers, who preferred no to be quoted, said that he is struggling to return the money he had borrowed from his relative as vegetables prices have dipped.
 
“I borrowed the money to grow vegetables. I was expecting good returns in summer season when prices sour significantly. But the lockdown has spoilt everything,” he said with teary eyes. “There is huge confusion among the farmers with regard to the selling points. On some occasions they allows us to visit the wholesale markets while sometimes they put entry restrictions. Because of this uncertainty most of the farmers are now dumping the vegetables at the newly created markets where there are rules. Being the highly perishable item, the farmers have to sell vegetables in couple of hours,” explained Ram Mahajan, Secretary of Mahatma Fule Vegetables and Fruit Sellers Association. Mahajan said that vegetable prices are likely to remain weak for the next two to three weeks citing continued transportation issues.