Punjab kinnow growers expect bumper crop this year, but sale worries remain
BATHINDA: Mohit Munjal, a kinnow grower from Fazilka district is a worried man as, so far, fruit traders have not shown any interest in striking a deal with farmers for this year’s crop.
Munjal, who has an over 80-acre orchard at Khubban village near Abohar town, says as per the established past practice, kinnow farmers get paid up to 25% of the total estimated yield by May. With farmers expecting a second consecutive bumper crop this year, the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown has them worried over sale of their crop. Kinnow harvesting starts from November and lasts till March.
“Till last year, these informal trade commitments began from April onwards, after traders assessed kinnow production on the basis of fruit flowering. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, traders are out of sight and farmers are worried about the sales prospect of their crop,” Munjal adds.
Punjab leads the country in the cultivation of kinnow, with the Abohar belt of Fazilka district alone contributing up to 60% to the state’s total production. The fruit is cultivated on nearly 33,000 hectares in Punjab.
Last season, Abohar belt produced more than 5 lakh metric tonnes of kinnow. The mandarin fruit sown in Abohar area finds buyer in many states of the country.
Orchardists like Sagar Nagpal say he had a bumper yield last season and earned well from cultivating kinnow over his 50-acre farm. “Last year, a contractor struck a deal as early as in March and I had handsome income from it. Now, when the fruit has started setting on trees and a good crop is expected, no potential wholesale buyer has visited us to date,” he adds.
According to Shivam Setia, a leading fruit trader, kinnow market trade may start opening up after August. He admits the trading community is in a ‘waitand-watch’ mode before investing in kinnow.
“Traders are still unable to settle last year’s financial transactions due to the complications caused by the lockdown. The entire supply chain is in a state of financial uncertainty. I have regular supply to Bangladesh and Nepal besides Indian states. This time, no one is really interested in trading at this juncture,” said Setia.