Problem of plenty hurts kinnow farmers
Prices have crashed due to bumper production of oranges, a rival fruit, and uncertainty in market over Covid-19
BATHINDA : Punjab is witnessing a bumper kinnow production this season, but farmers are rather worried over poor sales.
Sources in the fruit sector say that against the farmgate sale of Rs 17 per kg kinnow last season, growers are struggling to find buyers even at Rs 8 per kg of fruit this year.
The crashed prices are being attributed to super production of oranges, rival fruit of kinnow, and market uncertainty due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Sources said more than 60% crop is yet to be harvested whereas kinnow season is ending in less than one-and-a-half months. Harvesting of the mandarin fruit starts from November-end.
Punjab leads in kinnow cultivation in the country, with the Abohar belt of Fazilka district alone contributing up to 70% of the state’s total production.
Officials in the state horticulture department say this season area under kinnow grew from 33,000 hectares to 37,000 hectares in Abohar area. A leading kinnow grower from Gidderanwali near Abohar, Pardeep Dawra said this season, fruit production from the region has seen a surge of nearly 30% than last year’s estimated production of 7 lakh metric tonnes.
“As there was more orange production this season, the fruit is being preferred over kinnow in the southern and eastern states as the latter has higher transportation cost. The climatic conditions were overall favourable for kinnow but certain natural reasons impact the fruit size,” he said.
Another orchardist, Arvind Setia said a bumper production should have been good news, but most of us are struggling to get a fair price. “This is an unusual season; despite major production, there are hardly any buyers,” he rued.
Mohit Munjal, who has an orchard over 80 acres at Khubban village, hoped that the kinnow market would strengthen in the next couple of weeks.
Kinnow exporter and grower Surinder Charaya said, “A cold chain technology can strengthen the agronomics in a fluctuating kinnow markets.”