JOIN USTwo farmers in Udupi district have sold pineapple and watermelon cultivated by them on their own.
Mathew K Mathew had cultivated pineapple on 10 acres of land at Billadi, while Raghu Madyasta had cultivated watermelon on his farmland in Saligrama Parampalli.
Mathew had ventured into farming in Billadi 11 years ago by cultivating arecanut, coconut and rubber. For the first time, he had cultivated pineapple. However, lockdown did not prevent him from marketing the pineapple
Mathew harvested the pineapple crop and took them on his vehicle to sell it directly to customers at a cost of Rs 30 per kg in Brahmavar, Kundapura and Udupi.
He said the direct sale to customers increased his profit margin. “I used to sell 400 to 500 pineapples per day. About 10 tonnes are yet to be sold. Owing to the restriction on travelling to other districts, farmers are facing many problems. As there is scope for selling the farm produce locally, farmers should make use of it,” Mathew stressed.
Raghu said he had sold watermelon cultivated on one acre of his land at the price available locally.
“Instead of allowing it to rot, I decided to sell watermelons at the farm itself. The messages about my watermelons upoloaded on social media received good response. I used to take the help of middlemen to sell every year. But this time buyers themselves came to my farm to purchase the watermelons. Compared to previous year, I have received good price for the produce,” he declares with pride.