Cauliflower glut, growers bear the brunt
Cauliflower growers are suffering as they are getting lower prices of their produce.
Gajan Singh, a farmer from Swal village in Sultanpur Lodhi, said such situation occurred two years ago when due to high production, the prices had nosedived. Farmers are fearing that they don't have to go through the same situation which they faced two years ago when many of them had to destroy the crops.
Several growers said they were getting Rs 4 per kg. Malkit Singh from the same village said the cost of production per acres reached Rs 25,000-30,000. "Starting from seed, fertilisers, labour, transportation, etc, a lot of money is spent to grow crop on one acre, but right now we are not getting the right price for our crop," he said.
"Gobhi ne jimidaar rolte” (Cauliflower has shattered farmers), an upset grower Sukhjinder Singh from Swal village had earlier shared when due to low price, he had plough his standing crops. Sukhjinder Singh had destroyed his produce on 1.5 acres in 2023.
Sukhjinder had said he had spent Rs 30,000 on one acre and was hardly getting Rs 3 per kg of his cauliflower crop. “Apne hath naal laayi, hun aap hi vatti, mann nai manda par ki kariye (I grew it and I am destroying it, it’s very tough but what to do),” he had then shared.
However, right now, the farmers are still hopeful that the situation will improve in the coming days. Gajjan Singh, another farmer from Sultanpur Lodhi said, "Whenever the production rate is high, such situation arises," he said.
He had also destroyed the crop on an acre last year. “We bought hybrid seed, then a lot of money went into fertiliser and manure apart from transportation cost. ‘Kuch nai bacheya,’” he had then rued.
