When the lockdown began, the farmers in Aladangady and nearby villages in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada did not know what to do with banana, pineapple and vegetables they had cultivated. With no way to market them, some began feeding the produces to their cattle.
After learning that farmers such as David at Nada village who had cultivated nendra variety of banana in huge quantity are feeding it to the cattle, a farmer producer organisation (FPO) pitched in to help them.
The Aladangady Horticulture Farm Producers Company, which already had a WhatsApp group of some farmers, added some more farmers who were looking for the marketing of their produces, to the group. It also added some known consumers to the group.
The FPO began lifting the produces directly from the doorsteps of growers and delivered them to the houses of consumers who had placed demands on the WhatsApp group. It also opened an outlet at Belthangady which is a taluk headquarters and began selling the produces to consumers during the allotted period, from 7 a.m. to noon, during the lockdown.
The president of the company, Haridas S.M., told The Hindu that the FPO made chips, halwa and jam from unsold banana and pineapple. “We did not allow anything to go waste as the value-added products too are getting sold. We have also marketed about 300 kg. of honey,” he said adding that the FPO also made coconut oil and sold it.
The WhatsApp group has about 30 farmers and about 50 consumers. The FPO gave farmers better price and sold the produces to consumers with a little margin, Mr. Haridas said.
Mr. David had cultivated about 50 tonnes of nendra variety of banana. After the FPO purchased about 300 kg of banana initially from him, a market link was established to Kerala. Thus he could sell all 50 tonnes, the president said adding that the FPO came into being a year ago.
