Inferior-quality produce is fetching as little as ₹ 5 per kg, and better-quality is selling for about ₹ 11 per kg. Wholesale banana prices have fallen to their lowest levels in drought-hit Jalgaon, Maharashtra’s largest banana-producing district, amid export disruptions to conflict-hit West Asia.
The scanty rainfall in September affected the quality. It is meaningless to sell it at such a low price. Farmers accused traders of taking advantage of the situation to bargain aggressively. “Since the entire district has been declared drought-hit, many farmers are resorting to distress selling. “The supply in the domestic market exceeded demand, which affected wholesale prices.
Ingle spent over ₹ 7 lakh on the plantation and said he chose to destroy the crop rather than sell it at a price that would not cover his costs. “The traders were offering me only ₹ 3 a kg. He said wholesale prices in March fell to about ₹ 8 a kg, against a production cost of around ₹ 12 a kg.
Because of water scarcity,” Patil said, there is uncertainty over how much cultivation they will be able to undertake.
Officials said export disruption is among the reasons for the price decline, as Iran is a major importer of bananas from Jalgaon. The bananas had started ripening, so I destroyed the entire plantation,” Ingle said. Farmer Ramdas Patil said drought added to the pressure on growers. Exporter Vishal Agarwal said exports have been affected since earlier this year, increasing the supply available in the domestic market. In hot conditions, the quality deteriorates,” Agarwal said. Agarwal said that uninterrupted exports would have helped sustain prices in both domestic and overseas markets.
“The administration will ascertain the reasons for the sudden crash in banana prices. I know Ingle has destroyed his plantation. He said the plantation had yielded over 500 quintals of bananas. “In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the wholesale price is ₹ 22 a kg, but traders in Jalgaon are offering such low prices. Jalgaon district collector Rohan Ghuge said the sharp fall comes after wholesale prices ranged between ₹ 12 and ₹ 18 a kg, depending on quality.
Because of the low prices, “Banana farmers are in distress.
The state government must ensure that banana farmers get a proper price,” he said. We will speak to the farmer,” Ghuge said. Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar lawmaker Eknath Khadse said the government should intervene to support farmers facing losses. The state government must provide subsidies to banana farmers, as it does for onion growers when they face distress,” Khadse said.
