No buyer, exotic vegetable growers destroying crops

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, April 26

The nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 has forced growers to destroy their exotic vegetable crop in the fields in Chail valley of Kandaghat sub-division as there are no takers in the Delhi’s Azadpur market.

Vegetables like broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, lettuce, red radish, etc., which had caught the fancy of the growers for the last about a decade, were now finding use as animal feed and farm manure. The closure of the hotels and postponement of weddings have adversely hit those engaged in the business.

“Broccoli which was sold between Rs 180 and Rs 250 per kg a year ago is now finding no buyers in Delhi. A few boxes were sold at a meagre Rs 5 to Rs 20 per kg,” rued Manish Thakur, a grower from Raher village in Chail.

Thakur took to exotic vegetable cultivation about eight years ago after the traditional crops failed to give much dividend. Like many others, he invested lakhs in erecting a polyhouse spread across 4,000 sq m. While on any other day a kilo would fetch Rs 40 to Rs 60. Lack of takers this year has led to losses.

After exhausting all options to sell, Thakur is destroying fully-grown cabbage grown over 2,000 sq m area which will be left to decompose as farm manure or fed to cattle. Thakur said the state government should come to the rescue of the growers who have raised greenhouses by availing loans ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.

Growers from villages in Hinner, Dangheel, Jhajha, Kurgal, etc., said they have raised their first crop after availing huge loans and government should come forward and extend some succour.