JOIN USFarm to home initiative helps Hyderabadis consume immunity boosting fruits during coronavirus lockdown
A farm to home supply initiative in this COVID-19 lockdown time has helped Hyderabadis relish fresh fruits and develop immunity to combat the virus, at an inexpensive price.
All it takes is a missed call to a number 88753-51555; placing an order according to your need on a webpage directed to and the packets of assorted fruits are delivered to your doorstep.
According to Karunakar Reddy, who is the brain behind the project running with Telangana government support, over one lakh packets have been supplied to households across Hyderabad since April 7 till now.
Karunakar, an entrepreneur in water treatment sector, says that an incident at the beginning of the lockdown where a watermelon farmer dumped his produce in a waterbody unable to get it into Hyderabad city pressed him to work on this plan to supply the seasonal fruits directly from farmers to consumers, who could also not step out for shopping like earlier.
A basket containing 1.5 kg mangoes, 3 kg papaya, 4 kg watermelon, 2.5 kg sweet lime, one kg sapota and a dozen lemon, costing about Rs 500-600 in retail shops, supermarkets, was provided for Rs 300, and Rs 30-50 transportation charge. Delivery is free for 30 or more packet orders.
“The fruits are of good quality and the pricing being attractive, we can order more and consume nutritious fruits rather than binging on junk food in this inactive period,” says Dr Syam Kumar from Kukatpally who received two packets.
While consumers appear satisfied, farmers say they are getting a fair price for their produce otherwise having lesser demand this year.
“Dealers used to visit us and pay up to Rs 35,000 per tonne of sweet lime, but because of Coronavirus, this time we were getting about Rs 15,000 only. However, we are offered around Rs 18,000 through this home supply initiative,” Prabhakar Reddy, who has a 10-acre sweet lime farm in Poosalapadu of Nalgonda, tells DH. The Telangana district is famous for its citrus fruit harvest.
Karunakar’s enterprise has also provided employment to several construction labours and others rendered jobless because of the lockdown. Dozens of workers are engaged at the stocking, sorting, and supplying point of the fruits in Hyderabad, which receives supplies in trucks from various Telangana districts.
“Many of those working with us are from AP’s Srikakulam district and Odisha. We pay them Rs 500 per day per head besides providing meals,” Karunakar tells DH.
Vemula Srinivas, who was engaged with Amazon delivering TV etc., home appliances are using his mini truck to supply the packets and says he gets paid about Rs 3000 per day for his logistical services, “on par with his income before.”
Based on public feedback and suggestions of agriculture and marketing minister Niranjan Reddy, the combo packets are now coming with 4 kg watermelon, 4 kg sweet-lime and 3 kg mangoes, at Rs 300 and Rs 50 delivery charge. A tie-up with India Post is also helping deliver the fruits within Hyderabad at Rs 50 per pack.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in his COVID-19 situation presser conferences on live TV, asking people to consume fruits like locally grown sweet lime to develop immunity against Coronavirus helped gain more orders.
“But comparatively fruit consumption is far lower in our country, state. People do not show interest in fruits as they do in chicken, mutton varieties,” says Karunakar.