Activists of the Congress party and lemon farmers, led by former Union Minister Chinta Mohan, staged a protest demonstration near the Poddalakur Market in SPSR Nellore district yesterday. They demanded that the federal and state governments will directly bail out the lemon growers from losses. The farmers dumped lemons on the road as a mark of protest.
Chinta Mohan: “Orchard owners in Nellore district are in deep trouble with the price of the citrus fruit dropping to below ₹10 per kg.” It had been a fluctuating market for the orchard owners as the price of fruit crops went up and down depending on the demand in the north and east India, he explained and pressed for intervention by the governments to ensure that the farmers got at least the minimum support price.
The lemon farmers had incurred expenditures to the tune of ₹60,000 for farm inputs and maintenance of the orchards. They were not in a position to break even in the wake of the market crash, the former MP said.
[ ₹100 = €1.10 ]
Source: thehindu.com
