TIRUPPUR: As the procurement prices of ladies' fingers drop to Rs 10 per kilogram, farmers leave the crops in their farmlands in the Pongalur block in Tiruppur district for cattle grazing.
Speaking to TNIE, a farmer M Kanagaraj said, "We have been cultivating ladies' finger for generations. I sow okra seeds across 30 cents around the end of January. As I was about to deploy labourers for harvesting 45 days later, the rate of procurement from farmers dropped to Rs 10 per kilogram and retail prices to Rs 20 per kg. Never have I witnessed such a slump for ladies' finger. I spent over Rs 20,000 on fertilizers, pesticides. Instead of having to pay the workers additionally, I decided to let the cattle graze my crops."
K Chitra, a farmer, said, "We sowed seeds across 25 cent farmland. I was shocked to know the price drop, as only two months ago, the procurement price was Rs 30 per kilogram. I had spent Rs. 1,700 for seeds alone and more than Rs. 15,000 on fertiliser and insecticides. The price demanded by the traders had jolted many farmers in the district. I allowed my two cows to graze the crops, and would crush the remains."
Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection (propaganda Secretary) K Sivakumar said, "Over 400 farmers in Kandiyankovil and other villages in Pongalur, had sowed ladies' finger seeds in the past two months. Crops across over 200 acres could either be crushed or opened for feeding cattle. I have not seen the prices of ladies' finger drop so low. The massive harvest yield this season may have caused this. Further, this is the first time Tiruppur district received water flow from all its streams and rivers, filling up all village wells."
According to an official from the horticulture department, the immense yield has dropped the rates. "Moreover, many farmers from Dindigul, Erode and other districts could have sold the crop at Tiruppur vegetable markets. When the dumping of vegetables is high, naturally prices drop," the official added.