Theni banana farmers bear the brunt of production glut, transportation cut

N Selvakumar of Erasakkanaickanur village in Chinnamanur Block is one such aggrieved farmer, who had a good yield this year but was hit by the lockdown restricted. With no means of transport available, a good majority of farmers have suffered immense losses this year, he said.

The procurement price of tissue cultured ‘G 9’ variety banana and red banana touched new lows of Rs 3 and Rs 10 a kg respectively, which do not allow them to even recoup their investment. Even after this drastic fall, Selvakumar said, there have not been any takers.

The bananas from Theni are usually sent to Chennai, and also to Kerala and Puducherry. But the COVID crisis in Koyambedu has hit them hard during this season, farmers said. In the initial days, they managed to harvest the bananas using available manpower and sent part of the produce to Kerala through Kumali border. However, that was stopped since last week after fresh cases reported in Idukki, the district in Kerala that borders Tamil Nadu.

This apart, export coming to a complete halt was another big blow for the farmers in Theni, from where about 10 containers of different variety bananas used to be shipped to Middle East countries every week, Selvakumar added.

Katchikannan from Surulipatti, another farmer who is staring at big losses this year, said teashops, hotels and small shops remaining closed due to lockdown meant much of their produce has no takers. There are cold storage facilities in Theni. But many are not willing to store them, pointing out the additional expenditure it would incur on account of electricity and storage charges. The government should come forward to fix a minimum support price and procure bananas directly from the farmers, Katchikannan urged.

When contacted, A Arumugam, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Theni, said COVID outbreak was not the only reason for the drastic decline in banana price. He attributed it to glut in production as well – this year, cultivation was taken up in 5,912 hectares in parts of Theni, Cumbum, Uthamapalayam, Periyakulam and Chinnamanur, as against 5,600 ha last year. (Farmers here concurred, noting that many had taken up cultivation, expecting the demand to peak during the Ramzan month.)

Moreover, the ‘G 9’ variety bananas were raised in other districts considerably, he added.

Arumugam pointed out that the government had not restricted transportation of essential supplies, and hence banana farmers could market their produce anywhere. To ferry the produce to Kerala, vehicle passes could be given. “Markets in Kerala held a good potential for the farmers. But the supply chain failed in the recent days,” the official added.