NELLORE: While soaring temperature across North India has sharply increased the demand for lemon, farmers and traders in the erstwhile undivided Nellore district are grappling with a significant decline in the crop yield.
In the first week of April, lemon prices peaked at Rs 60,000 per tonne, typically considered lucrative for growers. Everyday, more than 20 truckloads of lemons are being exported on an average from major markets like Podalakur and Gudur, with similar shipments flowing from Tenali, Eluru and Rajahmundry markets, along with various small markets in Rayalaseema region. However, market sources reveal that lemon exports have drastically come down over the past few days.
Farmers attribute the dip to decline in the crop yield, and the impact of intense summer heat. “The temperature is unusually high this season, and lemon trees have not borne fruit as expected. Though the demand, especially from Delhi and other northern cities, is strong, the supply cannot keep up,” said S Raju, a farmer associated with Gudur lemon market.
“Earlier, nearly 100 truckloads of lemon were exported daily from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Now, it’s down to about 50 truckloads,” said Narayana, a trader at Podalakur market. “The lemon yield has dropped mainly because of the intense summer heat,” he said.
Lemon from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka is primarily exported to major northern markets, including Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Mathura, Gorakhpur and Prayagraj, where the fruit is mainly used for preparation of cold beverages to beat the heat. Despite the region suffering from severe drought conditions, lemon farmers have managed to salvage a reasonably good yield this year. However, the intense heatwave has curtailed the overall output, leading to a supply-demand imbalance.
Cultivation of lemon spans nearly 43,000 acres across the district, with four major markets in Nellore region - Podalakur, Venkatagiri, Jayampu and Gudur - forming the hub of lemon trade.About 15-20 trucks, each carrying nearly 20 tonnes of lemons, leave these markets daily for other States. “Usually, lemon prices start declining towards the end of June as new crop arrivals begin. This year, however, the prices have held steady due to low supply,” Suresh, another farmer, explained. Even though the demand is excellent, especially from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, farmers are unable to fully capitalise on it because the lemon fruit arrivals are much lower than usual.