Delhi is the major market for Anantapur muskmelon farmers, but the declining price of the fruit there is troubling farmers who invested heavily in its cultivation. A lack of cold storage means that farmers are having to sell at low prices, as there is an abundance of the fruit on markets.
Venkatesh, a muskmelon farmer who cultivates the fruit on three acres of land, was expecting Rs 25,000 per tonne like usual but he could get only Rs 5000 per tonne. "Chief Minister talks of making Anantapur a horticulture hub but the district does not have a single cold storage.'' Anantapur, where muskmelon is cultivated on more than 2,000 acres, is fast emerging as a horticulture basin with multiple fruits being grown.
Interestingly, the district farmers never depend on a single crop. Venkatesh is cultivating bananas and also oranges as a back-up plan. The seed of muskmelon alone costs Rs 70,000 per kg. One kilogram of the seed is sufficient to raise the fruit on one hectare (2.5 acres).
Narayanappa, another farmer in Belugappa, said that the fruit should be packed in boxes of 10 kilogrammes. Farmers earn Rs 150 while packaging and transportation incurs an expenditure of Rs 120. Farmers make just Rs 30 per box profit. “If other expenditure like the seed, irrigation, labour and maintenance is taken into consideration and calculated acre wise, we are left with nothing but a loss of Rs 100,000 per acre,” he said.
Sources in the department of Horticulture said that if entrepreneurs come forward to set up cold storages, there are subsidies and incentives being extended by the state and central governments.
