KASARAGOD: What if Baikunja is still not on Google Maps, yet. Shankara Bhat -- a farmer from the remote village in Badiadka gram panchayat -- broke the internet and found a buyer for his 14,000 kg of ash gourd.
"I am happy. I am thankful to minister," Bhat said, referring to Kerala's agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar.
The minister has directed Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation or Horticorp to buy all of them around 5,000 fully mature ash gourd from Bhat for Rs 17 per kg. The farmer will be pocketing a cool Rs 2.38 lakh. That was not the case on Wednesday.
Bhat's joy of harvesting a bumper crop soon became a cause of worry. "Who will buy 14,000 kg of ash gourd in the times of lockdown," he wondered.
He sowed one acre and half of his land with ash gourd seeds after striking a deal with a trader. But COVID and the subsequent lockdown forced the trader to back off.
As hope was sinking, influential rural reporter Shree Padre came to Bhat's rescue. Around Wednesday evening, Padre put out a post on Facebook and WhatsApp groups with the message saying Bhat has harvested 14 tonnes of ash gourd but not able to sell because of lockdown. He also uploaded two photographs of rows and rows of neatly arranged ash gourds in Bhat's cattle-shed and front yard. He wrapped up the terse message with Bhat's mobile number.
Since then, the phone did not stop ringing.
On Facebook, the message went viral. A tweet put out by TNIE reporter in Bangaluru was retweeted more than 400 times.
When Express contacted collector K Sajith Babu, he said the farmer had decided to hold on to the produce for four more months.
The district's principal agriculture officer Sajni Mol K said the farmer did not find it profitable to bring his produce to the Horticrop shop in Kannur and sell it for Rs 15 per kg.
But by then Padre's message has reached the agriculture minister's phone too. The minister immediately called Bhat and assured him that the Horticorp would pick up the produce on Thursday. "We struck a deal at Rs 17 per kg," Bhat said.
Minister Sunil Kumar said that the Horticorp was given standing instruction to buy produce from farmers by going to the fields.
The officials immediately reached his house and took photographs and details of the harvest.
Bhat is elated. "The minister's call made me more enthused about farming," he said and added: "Next year, I will go bigger on ash gourd".