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The month-long lockdown has meant fruit growers struggling to get their produce out into the markets. Many initiatives are now afoot to bridge growers and consumers.
Mango delivery
The Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation (KSMDMC) has just announced a tie-up with the postal department to deliver mangoes to consumers’ doorsteps.
Consumers can place their orders on the KSMDMC website. “This portal aims to facilitate farmers in supplying their produce to the consumers,” C G Nagaraj, managing director of KSMDMC, told Metrolife.
“Initially we tried direct deliveries. We then decided to reach out to the postal service for a more effective way to reach consumers,” he says.
Consumers can order a minimum of 3 kg at a time, at prices set by the farmers themselves. As we go to print on Friday, the website shows the price of Banganpalli at Rs 390 a kilo and Alphonso at Rs 480 a kilo.
The KSMDMC portal has a separate login for farmers to view their orders and check the varieties of mangoes that are in demand.
So how does it work? Farmers package and deliver the fruits to their nearest post office on Tuesdays and Fridays. Fruits are categorised as essential goods, and that means farmers can transport their produce despite the lockdown.
“The post offices are essentially delivery outlets,” an India Post employee told Metrolife.
All postmen have been instructed to follow social distancing and use sanitisers. They are provided with gloves and masks too.
To order: Visit Karsiri portal www.karsirimangoes.karnataka.gov.in
Sale at apartments
Private businesses have joined the fray too. Eonfoody, a startup that helps women entrepreneurs, has been using an under-construction building to store mangoes and grapes brought in by farmers.
Cecil Premi, founder of the group, explains that once the farmers drop off the fruits, the startup goes to apartment complexes and puts them up for sale.
On Friday, business was in Marathahalli and HAL areas. “Farmers come in with trucks of fruit once a week. “They need at least one and a half tonnes of grapes to justify the labour cost,” says Cecil. Based in Cooke Town, the startup has sold 1.4 tonnes of grapes in the last four days.
Eonfoody takes a margin of Rs 3 per kilo of grape sold. “If you live in an apartment with a decently large enough crowd, we will come to you. But if you just need a box or two, we can deliver that to you individually or you can come to Cooke Town and pick it up from us,” he says.
The team wanted to sell musk melon also but the customers’ demand wasn’t big enough to make it viable. Cecil says, “People would ask for exactly one kilo of muskmelon, which is difficult to hand out. The fruit is such that you can’t give an extra measure, so we decided to stick to grapes and mangoes.”
To order, call 96861 90750.
Pre-order done
Some Bengalureans have pre-ordered apples from Uttarakhand which will only be delivered in July.
An initiative taken by Anand Sankar, founder of The Kalap Trust, a sustainable travel and tourism company, hopes to help farmers from Tons Valley.
“We decided to do a pre-order so that farmers can use that money now for whatever needs they have,” says Anand.
The trust has already helped at least 50 farmers with the pre-orders.
The team isn’t sure if they will expand to other states, “it’s the first time we have tried something like this and we’re just happy to help at the moment,” Anand says.
To order: Visit www.tons.travel/apple or WhatsApp 70607 77030.
Fruit mela in Bengaluru
A mobile Fruit Mela is now on in Bengaluru, with 200 trucks bringing fruits.
The trucks will tour the 198 wards of the city and sell fruits that include pineapple from Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga, grapes from Kolar and Chikkaballapur, and watermelon and muskmelon from other districts.
Helpline for farmers 84959 98495.
To find out truck location, log on to www.fruitmela.vandebharatam.org