The Kerala Government has come up with a minimum support price of Rs. 15 per kg for A-grade green varieties, giving some relief to the ailing pineapple farmers.
VS Sunil Kumar, Minister of State for Agriculture, instructed the Vazhakulam Agro Processing Centre to procure the fruit at the earliest. The government's decision comes in the midst of a record price decline for A grade fruit at Rs 10 per kg and for B & C grades at Rs 3-5.
There was, however, no clarity on the support price for B&C grades from the authorities, the farmers said. Although farmers are not pleased with the prices reported, they maintain that "something is better than nothing."
Baby John, president of the Keralam Pineapple Growers Association, reported that the minimum assistance price announced by the government during the lockdown period was still pending, as only a few farmers had paid the authorities a nominal sum.
Given the high cost of production at Rs 20 per kg, he said the reported MSP is a meager sum.
