Lemon growers in the Indian village of Villiseri are benefiting from the increased market demand for lemons. A kilogram of lemons would normally fetch around Rs.20, but the current market price has now doubled to Rs.40.
Lemon production in Andhra Pradesh and Bijapur in Karnataka was down considerably this year owing to lack of rainfall, which resulted in a better market price for Villiseri lemons.
Next to Puliayangudi, which is known as ‘lemon city’ in Tirunelveli district, lemon was being cultivated considerably at Villiseri among the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Balamurugan told The Hindu .
Local growers have expressed concern over lack of infrastructure facility for storing lemons, which could be marketed when demand for the fruit was high. Assistant Director of Agriculture S. Mathiazhagan, (Quality Control), who inspected the lemon grove, instructed the farmers to apply fertilizers at regular intervals.
