Good News! Farm Produce Sales Ramp Up Ahead of 'Pongal'

The sale of farm products such as sugarcane, turmeric, palmyra tubers, vegetables etc. has moved to top gear in the southern districts. As the 'Pongal' approaches, sales of sugarcane, turmeric, vegetables, and new vessels to be given as presents to newly married women have reached a frantic level here.

People are flooding the market to acquire it despite the COVID-19 restrictions. 

The Maharaja Nagar 'Uzhavar Sandhai,' which received 40 tonnes of vegetables on Monday sold it at lightning pace. With the crowd surging the market, nearby open spaces were converted into the vegetable markets to mitigate the crowd 

The twin towns of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai have begun receiving sugarcane shipments from the districts of Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur, and Pudukottai districts and the traders from these places sell a bundle of 10 sugarcanes for Rs.350 while the price of sugarcane bundle in Nagercoil is Rs.550. 

“The price will increase further on Wednesday and Thursday if fresh loads are not received,” the traders say. 

Turmeric farming has begun on over 100 acres in Sawyerpuram, Thangammalpuram, Sivaththaiyapuram, Sakkammalpuram, and Servaikaaranmadam, which would normally supply the plant up to Delhi.

A turmeric plant that cost Rs.20 last year is currently selling for Rs.14. Since the farmer has to spend up to Rs.7 for a plant and work in the field for six months to cultivate the plant, this selling price has not enthused the growers. 

"Since merchants are apprehensive about selling turmeric owing to COVID-19-related restrictions, we received only a few buyers this year and as a result we're obtaining lower price this year.  We expect more traders to come to our village to buy turmeric before Thursday," said Thangammalpuram farmer T. Kesava Selvan. 

Another issue that farmers experienced this year was short supply of Di-Ammonium-Phosphate, which had to be compensated for using urea, lowering plant quality. 

Tenkasi district, southern Tamil Nadu's "vegetable basket," is busy sending out many truckloads of vegetables to various locations in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala. The Kamaraj Wholesale Vegetable Market in Paavoorchathram is so vibrant as it is sending the trucks with vegetables to other markets.