The Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala has taken its toll on export of fruits and vegetables from the State with shipments from all three airports coming to a halt.

Kerala ships around 150 tonnes of perishable commodities like vegetables and fruits on a daily basis to Gulf countries and to Europe. Of this, shipments from Cochin International Airport alone constitutes around 100 tonnes. However, the detection of Nipah virus and its subsequent panic following a misinformation campaign on social media forced many Gulf destinations to put import restrictions on the consignments from Kerala till further notice.

Bad timing

“The timing of the ban is going to impact fruit exporters in a big way as Holy Ramadan in Gulf countries is on where fruits are an essential item for iftar,” said C.Manoj of BVM Fruits, Kondotty, near Kozhikode who exports bananas, mangoes and pineapple through Karippur airport.

P E Ashraf Ali of Pomona Exports, Kozhikode said that all Gulf countries except Saudi Arabia had embargoed perishable cargo from Kerala since the virus outbreak a fortnight ago. Now Saudi too has followed suit by stopping entry of all fresh vegetable and fruits from Kerala. However, exports to European countries are unaffected.

He pointed out that a majority of such cargo are sourced from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where the virus has not been detected.

Talking to Centre

“We are keeping our fingers crossed as the export ban started impacting our business. The Kerala Chief Minister has given assurance to make a strong representation to the Union Ministries of Agriculture and External Affairs for taking steps to lift the ban”, Ali said.

According to Baby John, Executive Director of Vazhakkulam Pineapple Growers and Processors, pineapple exports to the Gulf have come to a standstill. Kerala exports 8-10 tonnes on a daily basis, garnering a revenue of ₹3 lakh/day.

As the threat of Nipah virus started receding with all clinical tests turning negative, Kerala Fruits Merchants Association, which is responsible for the sale of fruits within the State, said that the market was on a revival mode. PVHamza, president of the Association told Business Line that there was an impact on the market for 10-15 days after the outbreak of the disease, resulting a 50 per cent drop in business especially for small vendors. Fruit business in Kerala is around 600 tonnes per day, about ₹2,000 crore.

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