The farmers in the Srinivaspur taluk are worried over the low prices prevailing in the market for the vegetable.
Though cauliflower usually fetches a good price to the growers this time it is bound to create problems.

Sensitive crop
Cauliflower is a highly sensitive crop which needs continuously attention of the farmer, said trader Pasha.
Farmers have to spray many kinds of pesticides from time to time in order to prevent the onslaught of pests on the crop, noted Pasha who expressed that pesticides are priced costly.

In order to get a good yield farmers have to use chemical fertiliser along with manure, he said.

Special care has to be taken to maintain the moisture in the soil otherwise there are of chances of either crop drying or decaying due to lack or excess of water respectively, he added.

 Once the crop is ready it is harvested and packed in to bags which is again a burden to the farmers.

This doesn’t end with this the harvested crop is then transported to Bangalore and Chennai markets through trucks which almost empties the pockets of the farmers.

At the mercy of price
In spite of the all this the farmers are still at the mercy of prices in these markets. Sadly, the prices this time are eluding  their aspirations. The prices of the cauliflower have fallen and their is no respite to the farmers.
Earlier farmers use to lease their land to traders before the yield and as a result didn’t incur much wrath from the price fluctuations.

But now even traders are not keen on taking contracts. Though the prices of the tomato recovered and correspondingly the tomato farmers are in a better place the farmers who grow other vegetables including
cauliflower are now in distress.