Nipah scare leaves Kozhikode exotic fruit farmers in distress

Resurfacing of the Nipah virus infection with fruit bats as suspected hosts has put hundreds of farmers who cultivate exotic fruits in the uplands areas of Kozhikode district in an unexpected crisis.

Farmers say they are experiencing a huge drop in the wholesale purchase of various fruits by retailers citing people’s reluctance to buy them following the outbreak. Even farmers who have protected their fields using nylon nets are finding it hard to sell the produce. The zoonotic disease has made a re-entry at a time when the farmers have been waiting for a good harvest and attractive prices.

Distressing

“It is quite a distressing trend that even government functionaries and local administrators are exhorting the public to quit the use of these fruits as a preventive measure. They make such unscientific statements unmindful of the fact that accurate study reports are yet to be out,” says K. Joy, a farmer from Kavilumpara who cultivates fruits in around two acres of land. He says that farmers like him are facing a huge loss again.

With exotic fruits such as rambutan, dragon fruit, guava and lychee getting attractive prices, many farmers who used to cultivate only traditional items have been trying their hand in their cultivation. The majority has availed themselves of bank loans to prepare the field and plant the saplings. Many farmers had made huge profits from fruit trade.

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Mr. Joy, who submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister and the District Collector seeking protection for the farmers in the situation, points out that there should be scientific efforts on the part of Revenue, Forest and Health department officials to trace the real cause of the virus spread. The suspected role of wild animals needed to be checked, he adds.

‘Unscientific info’

Jijo Thomas, a functionary of the We Farm farmers’ movement, claims that a section of the media is also circulating unscientific information affecting the livelihood of fruit farmers. “Many farmers took up fruit farming as the price of cash crops witnessed a huge fall in recent years. There is no other option before the farmers if they fail to find market for the produce,” he adds. 

Meanwhile, government officials associated with the task force clarify that their effort is to make people aware of all the possible sources from where the virus can reach the human body. According to them, the public instructions are issued on the basis of international protocols followed in times of such outbreaks. They have made it clear that there is no intention to harm farmers by supporting any unscientific claims.