The Hindu Business Line : Fruit Growers' Association bags Palani contract

The association pooled 400 tonnes of the fruit for supply to the Devasthanam last year. Enthused by good returns to the farm produce, many small farmers have taken to hill banana cultivation this year. The association has re-worked its earlier proposal and has estimated the supply to touch 700 tonnes by end-June 2006.

About 215 farmers supplied 400-odd tonnes of the fruit between September 2004 and June this year. At the time of signing the contract, the supplies were a little over 3,200 kg, contributed by five farmers. Thereafter, contributions picked up to touch a high of 62,570 kg in April.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Arun R. Nagarajan, Secretary of the association, said that growers were assured of the market support rate, fixed at Rs 19 per kg. "It has stabilised at this level. Earlier, the growers could not bargain and get a good rate for their produce from the traders. It used to slip to less than a rupee/fruit, depending on the grade," he said.

The assured market and prompt returns has convinced the grower community to expand the cultivation area. According to Mr Nagarajan, the area has swelled to more than 6,000 acres from 1,000 acres two years ago.

"Apart from the support price, there were other reasons like good rains and a sharp drop in coffee prices that compelled growers in the Dindigul belt to look for alternate crops. Lot of planting has taken place in April, May and August and the acreage is expected to shoot up further," he said.

On the availability of planting material, he said that 50,000 tissue culture plants had been supplied by the two labs identified by the Government in 2001. But not much has happened since then and the growers have once again started to depend on succours. "There is no difference in the rate of the succour or the tissue culture plant. While the grower can be assured of disease-free plant propagated through tissue culture, it does not hold good for succour," he said.

Growers are more concerned about the bunchy-top virus infestation, now under control.

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