Cherry growers wary as curbs hinder direct sale to companies

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“The private buyers — Reliance, Big Basket, All Fresh — are in touch with us but they could not reach the fields as they fear they may be put under quarantine for 14 days as they need government’s permission to buy cherries.” — Satish Bhalaik, president, Bahli Cooperative Society, Kotgarh

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 9

Even as cherry growers are fetching good prices in local and Delhi markets for the first initial consignments, but they fear that markets may crash due to the Covid-19 lockdown that has made the entry of private companies to buy the producs directly from the farmers difficult.

The cherry season has begun on a good note as the farmers fetched Rs 80 per kg box to Rs 180 per kg box for red and black cherries for consignments of over 3,677 one-kg boxes sold in Dhalli and Parala markets in the last three days.

Meanwhile, growers fetched Rs 300 per kg box to Rs 200 per kg box for the first consignment of 1,700 boxes of a good-quality imported variety of cherry which was bought by a trader in Delhi market on Friday, said Satish Bhalaik, president of the Bahli Cooperative Society, Kotgarh, the largest cherry growing area in the state.

He said initial good markets are difficult to sustain this time as private companies which used to buy fruit directly from the farmers have failed to reach the farm gate so far due to restrictions imposed by lockdown. “The private buyers — Reliance, Big Basket, All Fresh — are in touch with us but they could not reach the fields as they fear they may be put under quarantine for 14 days as they need government’s permission to buy cherries,” he added.

These three companies have expressed their desire to buy about 5,000 boxes per day directly from the growers. The private company has sought permission to transport cherry by chopper from Shimla to Delhi and Mumbai, Bhalaik said.

The cherry production is 50 per cent less this year as compared with the last year. The production may not exceed 7 lakh boxes this year, said a horticultural official.