KOLAR: A farmer who had cultivated bananas on three acres of land harvested his crop on Saturday and distributed it free of cost due to a steep fall in prices.
KY Ganesh Gowda, from Kotekanahalli in Kolar district, made this decision after local wholesale merchants and fruit dealers offered him only Rs 10 per kilogram for his bananas.
Gowda told TNSC that last year he had taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh from Vadagur Society and planted 2,006 Elakki banana suckers on his land. In total, he spent Rs 4.5 lakh on the crop.
During festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepavali, and Varamahalakshmi, local dealers purchased bananas from him for Rs 60 per kilogram and sold them at Rs 100 per kilogram. However, when he tried to sell 2,000 kilograms of bananas this week, buyers did not offer him a remunerative price. With the crop ready for harvest, he could not delay any longer.
"With no other option, I hired laborers, harvested the crop, and distributed it to people in Kotekanahalli and nearby villages for free," Gowda said.
Gowda explained that he switched to banana cultivation after incurring losses from growing tomatoes last year. "I have spent Rs 35,000 on harvesting the crop and preparing the land for a new one. In addition to clearing my loan, I need to invest in raising a new crop," he added.
According to sources, many farmers in the district have taken up banana cultivation, hoping for better prices during Sankranthi next month.