Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 12: It is common knowledge that a lion's share of the reward for the hard work put in by the farmers goes to middlemen or wholesalers. If the vegetables are grown do not fetch good prices, the grower ends up making losses. Because of this predicament, a farmer from Bajpe has herself been selling the vegetables grown by her without involving the services of the middlemen. This has been proven beneficial to her.

Vasanthi Kishore, a zilla panchayat member from Bajpe and herself a farmer, saw for herself when she visited the market to sell the vegetables raised by her sometime back, that the middlemen were making a profit at the cost of farmers. She did not get a good price for her products and therefore thought of an alternative. She planned to sell her vegetables on her own without allowing the middlemen to have a cut. She, therefore, has started to sell vegetables in front of her house at Permude. The fact that her house is located near state highway 67 has come as a blessing in disguise for her.

Currently, Vasanthi has raised cucumber, watermelon, okra, spinach, gherkins, long beans, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ash gourd etc in her three-acre land. She says that if a vegetable is priced at Rs 30 per kg in the market, the farmers get only Rs 15. For the local variety of okra, the price is Rs 80 per kg but farmers get Rs 50. Vasanthi, from her own experience, says that selling the items grown on their own brings more earnings for the farmers.

Vasanthi's children, who have vacations, are helping her with selling the vegetables. Vasanthi is into dairying as well and has 16 cows. Her husband, Kishore, extends help in this sector.

Vasanthi reveals that there is high demand for watermelons and locally grown okra. She says that the people stop their vehicles at the sight of watermelons and buy them. Watermelons are sold at Rs 30 per kg, she said.