THENI
Members of Theni District Banana Growers and Traders Association have appealed to the State government to immediately earmark funds and construct cold storage so that they could save the produce from dumping in bins due to various factors, especially in such times of lockdown due to the pandemic.
Speaking to reporters, association president R. Narayanasamy and secretary A.P. Karuppiah said here on Tuesday that with lockdown in force, the standing plantain crops could not be harvested on time. Due to logistics issues, the workers could not come to the fields.
As a result, close to ₹ 5 crore worth plantain crops in Sippalakottai and surrounding areas in Uthamapalayam taluk had gone waste. The small and marginal farmers in the belt were hoping to make some earnings at least this season, as they faced a similar situation last year too due to Covid-19, they recalled.
While on the one hand, the government encouraged the farmers to set up drip irrigation and gave subsidies, with an…