HYDERABAD: The troubles of sweet lime (mosambi or battai) farmers, which began some three years ago, have now doubled up owing to the lockdown. As against its usual price of `30 per kg to `35 per kg, sweet lime is now priced at around Rs 15 per kg. The farmers claim that the sweet-lime orchards were being neglected over the years by the Horticulture and Marketing Departments. Its cultivation, which was spread over 3 lakh acres three years ago, has now reduced to just around 90,000 acres.
The erstwhile Nalgonda district was highest producer of sweet lime, followed by Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. “At least 45,000 farmers depend on sweet-lime cultivation in the State. Most of them have now replaced their orchards with another crop, not only because of the pandemic, but also due to the neglect of the Horticulture and Marketing Departments. Now, the number of farmers have reduced to 25,000,” Battai Rythula Sangham general secretary Ch Vidyasagar Reddy told Express.
For sweet-lime cultivation, April and May are crucial months. The farmers get quality fruits during these two months, which in turn, fetch them good revenues. “We get 10 tonnes of sweet lime per acre per year. But, in April and May, we get two tonnes of fruits per acre, which are then sold at `35 to `40 per kg,” a farmer explained. “We are expecting around 80,000 tonnes of sweet lime yields in April and May,” the farmers said. But, the price offered is just `15 per kg.
The major markets for sweet-lime farmers of Nalgonda includes Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Ghorakhpur, Mumbai and other cities in the north. “Due to the lockdown, we are unable to transport the fruits,” the farmers said. Though the Horticulture and Marketing departments have been encouraging farmers to sell their fruits in Hyderabad, the latter are shying away from the possibility. “The Hyderabadis have no habit of consuming large quantities of sweet lime, unlike in North India,” a farmer said. The farmers are also unhappy with the traders at Gaddi Annaram market. “The traders at Gaddi Annaram market have formed a syndicate. They fix the price for the sweet lime. They also demand the farmers to give them 10 per cent of the fruits for free of cost,” Vidyasagar Reddy explained. He urged the State government to take measures to help them transport sweet lime to other states.