GADAG: Enraged by the drop in export demand because of the ongoing crisis in West Asia, farmers in and around Gadag who had cultivated watermelons have abandoned their produce to rot in their fields.
For years, wholesale buyers from Maharashtra and other neighbouring states routinely purchased watermelons from Gadag district to be exported. This season, however, many buyers simply did not turn up. Those who did offered only a mere Rs 2-3 per kg, instead of Rs 17-18 per kg they used to offer earlier.
Srinivas, Prakash and Sannagouda Patil are among the farmers who abandoned the crop, saying the low prices will not allow them to recover even their investment.
As the news of the price crash spread, more farmers in the district abandoned their crops. They have now urged the state government to intervene and extend assistance to recover their losses.
Srinivas Patil, a farmer from Binkadakatti, said, “This is the first time I planted watermelon in my field. I visited several farms around our district and consulted experts. Many of them assured me that I could earn a good income if I grew watermelons. Based on their guidance, I had approached exporters from Mumbai, who promised me an attractive price. However, bulk buyers who came to my farm told me that they cannot export the fruit because of the war situation. With no way to recover my costs, I left the crop to rot in the field.”