NELLORE: With the rise in demand for fruit in the open market, farmers are overjoyed with the prices of citrus (sweet lime), which is considered to be one of the major horticulture crops in the Nellore district. While the price for one tonne of citrus has reached nearly Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 in the wholesale market this year, compared to Rs 25,000 last year.
Citrus growers and traders are expecting that the price may increase to nearly Rs 60,000 per one tonne in the coming days. Farmers have cultivated citrus in around 16,000 acre in the erstwhile Nellore district and are expecting 41,000 metric tonnes of yield this year.
Sweet lime is being cultivated in large extent in Anantapur, Kadapa and Nellore districts.
“I have cultivated the citrus crop in five acres. We are getting nearly 8 to 10 tonnes of yield per one acre. In fact, the demand for the crop from other parts of the country has resulted in increase in the prices,” said K Shakeer, a farmer from Udayagiri.Traders from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are approaching farmers for procuring the crop, which are reaping good profits.