BERHAMPUR: The coronavirus restrictions have come as a bane for vegetable growers of Ganjam district. A large number of farmers had cultivated brinjal, lady’s finger, cabbage, tomato and other vegetable crops in vast tracts of land this year. However, with transport coming to a standstill, their hopes have been dashed. Only 10 per cent of their vegetables have been sold so far with the rest either left to rot in the fields or buried.
Sources said almost all the farmers have sustained huge losses due to the lockdown. While farmers of villages near to urban areas of the district have somehow managed to sell their produce, their counterparts in remote areas are not so fortunate.
In Beguniapada block, vegetable crops were cultivated in over 1,000 acre of land. But, most of the produce has been left in the field due to lack of transportation facilities. A bag of brinjals, which is usually sold at `1,500 during this period, is now offered at only `60 to `100. “While no transport or storage facility is available, the exorbitant fares charged by vehicles to take the vegetables have compelled us to leave our produce in the fields,” said A Sirjulu Dora of Genjarapalli village in Beguniapada.
Dora said he waited for a purchaser, but no one turned up. Without any option, he is now plucking the brinjals and burying them in his field. Chhatrapur Sub-Collector Priya Ranjan Prusty visited some of the fields in Hinjili block on Saturday and held discussions with farmers about their problems. Prusty said the administration has decided to facilitate transportation of vegetables from the block to Berhampur and Bhubaneswar. A permission letter will be issued to farmers. The agriculture and horticulture officials have been asked to coordinate the supply of vegetables, he added.