Hit by falling prices and labour shortage, pineapple farmers begin deserting their crop
May 04, 2021
This is the second consecutive year that the sector is losing the Ramadan demand
With plummeting prices, the smiles on the faces of Kerala’s pineapple farmers have given way to wrinkles of worries even as the second wave of Covid has battered many upcountry consuming markets.
The euphoria of a price rise, seen a month ago, seems to have been short-lived as farmgate prices of all varieties have dropped to ₹19 per kg after ruling above ₹40. According to growers, the closing down of major upcountry markets and restrictions have hit the trade in a big way.
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In Kerala the pineapple sector is reported to be worst-hit with more than 50% workers headed back home The surge in the second Covid-19 wave is likely to aggravate labour scarcity in the coffee- and rubber-producing regions of Karnataka and Kerala as rising infections and curbs imposed by various States is likely to impact the return of migrant labour from States such as Assam and West Bengal.
Workers from Assam, Chhattisgarh and Bengal, who account for close to half of the workers in Karnataka coffee estates, have gone home to cast their votes in the Assembly elections.Around five lakh workers are estimated to be employed in Karnataka’s coffee sector. Most of the workers left for their home States in early March and the shortage of labourers is being felt during the coffee and pepper harvest this year, growers said.
Pineapple prices turn sour on farmers strike, the subdued pilgrimage season
January 06, 2021
Pineapple turns sour - BusinessLine×
The farm-level price of A-grade fruit has come down to ₹10 per kg, while B and C grades are hovering between ₹3 to ₹5. The New Year has hardly brought cheers to pineapple growers with its prices plummeting to a record low. The farm-level price of GI-tagged Vazhakkulam pineapple A grade green fruit has come down to ₹10 per kg, while B and C grades are hovering between ₹3 to ₹5.
The average price during the same period last year was ₹28 for special grade and ₹15-16 for B&C grades.
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