Anti-CAA stir, cold weather hit state’s kinnow supply, wholesale rates crash
BATHINDA : Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in various parts of the country and a prolonged spell of cold weather have affected the supply of kinnow from Punjab to other states, resulting in a crash of prices of the fruit.
Punjab leads in the cultivation of kinnow, with the Abohar belt of Fazilka district alone contributing up to 60% to the state’s total produce. The fruit is cultivated on nearly 33,000 hectares in Punjab.
Last season, the belt produced 7 lakh metric tonnes of kinnow.
Fruit growers say wholesale rates for the bumper crop have gone down to ₹6 per kg in the last two months.
Arvind Setia, a state awardwinning kinnow grower from Abohar, said following incidents of violence in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal etc, traders were reluctant to buy fruits from Punjab orchards.
“This season, we had an impressive kinnow production. Till the first week of December, farmers were being paid up to ₹19/kg while ₹12 per/kg was offered in 2018-19 season. Even the best quality crop is unable to get ₹13/kg,” he said.
Sandeep Kakkar, a transporter, said there was a 30% drop in the kinnow movement this season. He said kinnow from Abohar is sent to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the southern states, but there was a sharp decline in transportation orders.
“In the last three seasons, 80% kinnow crop was harvested by December. But due to the incidents of protests, transportation orders have dipped significantly. Harvesting of the fruit almost halted. Like fruit traders, transporters are reluctant to take orders,” he added.