Devotees thronging the Guruvayur Sreekrishna temple once again after the lockdown have brought cheer for kadali banana farmers at Kodakara in Thrissur.
The Kudumbashree Mission and farmers under the Mattathur Labour Cooperative Society have been supplying kadali bananas, one of the main offerings at the temple, for the past 12 years.
Kadaleevanam, a project to ensure sustainable income for the farmers, was started in 2009 on the initiative of former Minister C. Ravindranath. According to the contract between the Kudumbashree Mission, Guruvayur Devaswom, and the cooperative society, 4,000 kadali bananas will be distributed to the Guruvayur temple a day.
“Around 500 farmers were cultivating kadali bananas in around 125 acres in Kodakara block. We used to supply banana to the Guruvayur and Thiruvambadi temples before the lockdown,” says K.P. Prashant, secretary Mattathur Labour Cooperative Society, which procures the commodity from the farmers.
Loss during lockdown
The first COVID-19 lockdown came at the peak of the harvest season. As the temples remained closed, there were no takers for the bananas, which used to fetch ₹45-50 a kg, and the farmers suffered a heavy loss, he says.
Farmers are now happy as the temples are opening as usual for the devotees. But they are apprehensive too. “Farmers have not been cultivating the kadali plantain for the past six months as they incurred a heavy loss following the second lockdown. If we start cultivating the banana, it will be ready for harvesting only next August,” says Mr. Prashant.
He says the society will hold a discussion with the Guruvayur Devaswom to resume the banana supply. Farmers are apprehensive that outsiders may chip in to fill the demand now, which may undermine the Kadaleevanam project.
