Sweet lime cultivation: Farmers squeezed dry by middlemen

Nalgonda: The prevailing low prices of sweet lime due to lack of market support and exploitation by middlemen has become a cause for concern among farmers. Nalgonda is the biggest producer of sweet lime in Telangana. Lime plantations are raised in Nalgonda, Tipparthi, Gurrampodu, Kanagal, Peddavura, Nidamanur, Madgulapalli, Chandur, Munugode, Nampalli, Kattangur, Narketpalli, Chityal, Mallepalli, Vemulapalli mandals.

The annual market in the district is valued at Rs 1,800 crore-2,000 crore. Decline in prices is beneficial only to middlemen. With the crop ready for harvest, farmers are suffering losses as the price per tonne has plummeted from Rs.28,000-32,000 to Rs.11,000-18,000, which is the prevailing rate at the Gaddiannaram market in Hyderabad. Brokers are exploiting the situation by buying the produce at the plantation itself for Rs 8,000-11,000 per tonne.

With severe drought and a steep fall in groundwater levels, farmers are facing severe hardship in saving sweet lime plantations, as they have to meet the input costs, in addition to labour expenses. With declining prices, they are facing a severe crisis, although there is a demand for the fruit in New Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata, Punjab and Haryana, at a time when the fruit is available in the local market. The same situation is likely to prevail when it gets ready for harvest in September.

Sudhakar, a farmer of Gurrampodu told The Hans India that he has ten acres of sweet lime plantations on which he has invested Rs.4 to Rs 5 lakh. “With each acre yielding 5 tonnes, even if the yield is 50 tonnes, I am getting only Rs 11,000 a tonne from brokers. There is no possibility of recovering the investment.

In the absence of local market, if I take the fruit to Gaddiannaram, the brokers there do not purchase them. I am forced to dispose the stock at my orchard itself to middlemen, who claim that there is no rate because of glut.” he says. Another farmer Nagarjun Reddy said he had allocated more land to sweet lime, giving up paddy on account of shortage of water. Although he has been raising the fruit for 15 years, there is a crash in prices in March, when the yield is ready for release to market.

This has become more or less common thus far. With no immediate chance of sale, he is forced to sell the produce to brokers at a low price, unable to stock it for more than 15 days. “I am compelled to sell to middlemen despite incurring losses. Yet I can’t think of giving up the plantations. I am just able to somehow manage to continue raising the fruit,” he said.

Banda Srisailam who has been has been in the field for 20 years told The Hans India that sweet lime farmers are being forced to cut their plants because of the ‘negligent’ attitude of both the central and state governments. During the last three years, sweet lime has been raised on 3.5 lakh acres in the district. Now it has decreased to 2.6 lakh acres, with farmers cutting plants in one lakh acres, mainly because of lack of commensurate market price and government support.

The farmers have been waiting for two years for drip/ sprinkler irrigation facilities after applying to the Horticulture department. About one lakh such applications are estimated to be pending for disposal. Farmers told The Hans India that it is high time the state comes to their rescue.

By B Ashok