Heavy rain takes a toll on pineapple farmers
Thousands of pineapple farmers, already reeling from a steep price fall, are seeing the situation worsen with heavy rain triggering crop loss, further price drop, and possible outbreak of plant diseases caused by excess moisture.
'The fruit farmers have experienced a steep fall in prices over the last 20 to 25 days. The price has dropped to just over ₹20 for the best-quality raw fruit, while there are no takers for ripe fruits in the local market,' said Jobin K. Joy from Vazhakulam.
While green fruit was selling for ₹21–23 a kg, ripe fruit fetched only ₹13–15. Even at these low prices, there was no guarantee of buyers this week, said Mr. Joy, who feared that the shrinking demand would soon dry up, leaving pineapple farmers at the mercy of the market.
Most of the pineapple-growing areas in the district received about 39% more rain than usual between March 1 and May 28. The normal rainfall is 366.8 mm, while the actual rain received during the period was 509.3 mm, according to the India Meteorological department data. The situation in other fruit-growing areas like Idukki and Kottayam is no better, with rainfall exceeding normal levels.
Pineapple farmer and merchant Joe Joseph said that with rain hitting even some north Indian States, demand for the fruit had plummeted. Only the best-quality raw fruits were now in demand, he added. He also pointed out that within another fortnight, the impact of the heavy rain in the State would likely be visible in plantations in the form of possible plant diseases.
Mr. Jobin said that heavy rain could lead to rot in plants as well as fungal diseases in the immediate future. This would affect the coming crop season plunging farmers into further trouble, he added.
He also said that a steep drop in the prices of other fruits like mangoes and watermelon in the local market had turned buyers away from pineapple, which was now relatively more expensive despite the surplus production.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Defence may be the wrong word': Shashi Tharoor points at ‘China factor' in Pakistan conflict
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday that 81 percent of Pakistan's defence equipment comes from China, making the country an 'impossible factor' to ignore in the conflict with Islamabad. Tharoor, who is leading a parliamentary delegation to the US to expose Islamabad's nexus with terror after India's Operation Sindoor, said that New Delhi-Beijing relations were making good progress till last month's conflict with Pakistan. 'I'm not going to mince my words, but we are aware that China has immense stakes in Pakistan," PTI quoted Tharoor as telling the representatives of think tanks at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. Tharoor pointed out that the largest single project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and that 81 percent of Pakistani defence equipment is from China. 'Defence may be the wrong word here. Offence in many ways……China is an absolutely impossible factor to ignore in what has been our confrontation with Pakistan,' Tharoor said. Shashi Tharoor told the gathering that India had seen good progress in its relationship with China after tensions since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. The Thiruvananthapuram MP added that during Operation Sindoor and the conflict with Pakistan, New Delhi saw a very different China in terms of its support for Islamabad, even on the UN Security Council. 'We have no illusions about what the challenges are in our neighbourhood, but I want to remind you all that India has consistently chosen a path of keeping open channels of communication, even with our adversaries. We have tried as much as possible to focus on development, on growth, on trade. Our trade with China is still at record levels. It's not that we are adopting a posture of hostility, but we would be naive not to be aware of these other currents around,' he said. The UN Security Council, on April 25, issued a press statement on the 'terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir' after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The statement had condemned the attack in "the strongest terms' but did not mention The Resistance Front as Pakistan, which is a non-permanent member of the council, got it removed with China's help. 'The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,' the press statement had said. Shashi Tharoor was asked about the Chinese military equipment that Pakistan used in the conflict during an earlier interaction at the Council on Foreign Relations. The delegation head said that when India saw what the Pakistanis were attempting to do using Chinese technology, for instance, the 'kill chain' that the Chinese specialise in, where the radar, GPS, planes and missiles are all linked together and they react instantly, 'we simply did things in a different way. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to hit' 11 Pakistani airfields, and "we wouldn't have been able to breach the Chinese-supplied air defences. 'So it's clear that assessments were taking place while the fighting was happening, and we were recalibrating our strategies in order to end as effectively as we were able to end,' Tharoor said.
India Today
34 minutes ago
- India Today
UK's Shrewsbury School to open co-ed boarding campus in Bhopal by 2025
Shrewsbury School, one of the UK's most respected educational institutions, is opening its first Indian campus in Bhopal. The new co-educational boarding school will welcome students aged 11 to 18 and follow the Cambridge International are expected to begin in August 2025. Students will study for the IGCSE exams in Grades 9 and 10 and A Levels in Grades 11 and 12 -- both recognised by top universities across the WORLD-CLASS CAMPUS WITH A GLOBAL CURRICULUMSet on a sprawling 150-acre plot, the upcoming Shrewsbury School India will feature an extensive range of modern facilities. These include an academic block, pupil boarding houses, indoor sports complex, amphitheatre, aquatic centre, arts and performance spaces, medical and health services, administrative blocks, and multi-cuisine dining. The school will also provide accommodation for faculty and support staff, ensuring a fully residential experience. The goal is to combine British-style education with top-tier campus amenities, making it a strong choice for Indian families seeking international standards without going ON CHARACTER AND INDEPENDENT THINKINGWhile the school brings a prestigious curriculum, it also plans to bring Shrewsbury's core values to Indian soil. The emphasis will be on independent learning, critical thinking, and respect for community to the school's official statement, 'Pupils will be expected to adhere strictly to codes of behaviour, discipline, and self-discipline and be actively encouraged to engage in deep thinking and develop independent thought.'With rising demand for global education in India, the move positions Shrewsbury to cater to students looking for more than just academics—offering a holistic learning environment focused on both intellect and personal growth.
India Today
34 minutes ago
- India Today
Starlink launch in India: What it means for internet access and free services as Musk takes on Jio, Airtel
The Indian government has recently approved Elon Musk's proposal to bring Starlink services to India. While the company may take some time to activate services in the country, it is surely a turning point for the internet in India. Why? Starlink, already available in 100 countries, is a satellite broadband initiative from SpaceX, and is on a mission to revolutionise internet connectivity by beaming high-speed access from space. Now that it is coming to India, the internet will reach every nook and corner of the a nod from the ministry, Starlink has joined an exclusive group of just three firms, alongside OneWeb and Reliance Jio, to secure a crucial step towards offering satellite-based telecom services in India. The company has already been issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) by the Department of Telecommunications, which serves as an initial go-ahead from the before it can begin rolling out its satellite internet infrastructure across the country, Starlink must now obtain a crucial clearance from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-SPACe). This approval from the national space regulator is essential before the company can commence trial operations and be allotted provisional spectrum. So, now the question is: When will Starlink launch in India?Starlink launch in India? While the exact date of the roll out is not official yet, we have enough information to assume. Before we deduce that, let's circle in what we know so far. Starlink has been awaiting regulatory approval to begin commercial operations in India since 2022. However, the process has been held up by various factors — including concerns related to national security, according to a report by May 7, it took a major step towards launching its services in India after receiving a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications. Now, with a vital regulatory licence secured, Elon Musk's satellite internet venture is poised to kick off operations on Indian has made no secret of its eagerness to begin. While a fourth contender, Amazon's Kuiper, is still awaiting the necessary approvals to launch its satellite internet services in India, the reports indicate that once Starlink submits its application for trial spectrum, it is likely to be granted within 15 to 20 this year, the company quietly entered into unexpected partnerships with two of India's largest telecom players, Reliance Jio, led by Mukesh Ambani, and Bharti Airtel, to support its local India pricingAccording to a media report published last month, Starlink is expected to roll out plans starting at just $10 a month, which translates to roughly Rs 850, positioning it among the most budget-friendly satellite internet offerings worldwide. This pricing strategy aligns well with the Indian market, where affordability and high performance are often key to consumer competitively priced packages, which may even offer unlimited data, are likely to accelerate Starlink's growth across the country. The company is reportedly aiming to attract as many as 10 million users as it establishes its presence in does Starlink work?advertisementStarlink aims to provide high-speed internet, even in places where there is no network. But how does it do it? Instead of relying on traditional ground-based infrastructure such as fibre or cable, Starlink uses a vast constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver fast and stable internet, particularly to regions where conventional services are patchy, slow or entirely transmitting data directly between satellites and ground stations, it effectively sidesteps many of the limitations that plague traditional broadband networks, offering a lifeline to rural and remote communities across the globe.
