The Kerala State Horticultural Development Corporation Pineapple will start buying up pineapples, with a view to help farmers who are facing a record fall in price of the fruit due to a glut in the market.
Sources at the Vazhakkulam, Agro and Fruit Processing Company -jointly owned by the state government, Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam and farmers- said that so far about 45 tons had been procured after an intervention was made by the State Department of Agriculture.
It has been decided that pineapples would be procured from farmers who bring their fruits with a certificate from the designated agricultural officer. This step is taken to avoid allegations that pineapples are being procured from traders or from large-scale farms. Three tons of pineapple will be procured from any farmer, at a price of ₹17 a kg (€0.21) even as the open market price is at around ₹10 a kg (€0.12) for the best quality produce.
In a meeting of stakeholders headed by Minister for Agriculture V.S. Sunilkumar last week, it was decided that more pineapple might be procured in the future if the present drive did not boost prices.
As per a rough estimate, the fruit production this season is in the vicinity of 400,000 tons. Increasing acreage under pineapple in the wake of the falling rubber prices increased production. Interestingly, more farmers have taken up pineapple farming as yields are available within a short period of time as compared to other crops.
