The Kerala High Court has come to the rescue of the crisis-ridden pineapple sector by directing the State Government to consider and pass orders within two weeks on the representation filed by pineapple farmers seeking a comprehensive relief package to the Covid-19 battered sector.
Justice Anu Sivaraman passed the interim order on a petition filed by the All Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association requesting the government to write off the loans of creditors who have been repaying the loans regularly till 2018; grant interest-free loans for future farming till things are improved; announce a minimum support price of ₹25 for pineapple and immediate revival of manufacturing units to produce value-added pineapple products.
Urgent measures required
James George, president of the Association, submitted before the court that the debts are mounting on pineapple farmers due to the pandemic and the exposure of loans would come around ₹450 crore. A farmer has allegedly committed suicide and the government should come up with urgent remedial measures to protect the farmers, he said.
Around 5.4 lakh tonnes of the fruit are produced in Kerala every year from nearly 18,000 hectares of land, in which major share is from leased lands. Farmers have to depend on banks and other institutions for loans to carry out farming.
Pineapple farming in the country was severely affected and has worsened since the 2018 floods. Later, the Covid-19 pandemic hit prices which went below the production cost to around ₹2.5 to ₹5 per kg, while the cost of production was around ₹23-24 per kg. The reduced rate of availability of marketable pineapple has caused a reduction in the trade.
All these factors have culminated into a tragic situation putting most of the farmers into deep debt-traps. The declaration of moratorium for a limited period has no effect at all and hence, a well drafted Agricultural Debt Relief Scheme is inevitable in this sector, he said.