Khousabung pineapple farmers press distress button

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 23 : With total lockdown/curfew on, it looks pretty bleak for Pineapple growers in Churahandpur’s Khousabung area. Farmers in the area say many pineapple pieces have started perishing and many more are left to go waste because there was no way the produce could be sent to the nearest markets due to restriction of movement during the Covid-19 induced lockdown/curfew.
Meanwhile, distressed farmers of the area have sought the intervention of the Government to bail them out of the predicament they are in.
More than 300 households in Khousabung area-covering villages such as Bunglon, Harmontlang, L Phainom, Phunchongjang, S Nabil, Ningthiching, Muolhoih, Khoirentak-have been actively engaged in pineapple cultivation in area spread over 600 acres of land.
Last year too, the pineapple farmers had one of their worst nightmares when they had to run from pillar to post looking out for viable marketing avenues amidst the lockdown in the entire State.
While acknowledging the initiatives of the Government to help the farmers in the past year, the Bunglon Loukai Pawl (Bunglon Farmers’ Welfare Association) has urged the Government to rescue the poor pineapple farmers of the area from the mess they are in this time too.
Doukhai, chairman of BLP said many pineapples have been wasted as the whole State is reeling under total lockdown since July 18. He added that many more are left to go wasted if no practical option/arrangement is made by the State Government on priority basis. “We poor farmers are being compelled to dump our produce due to lack of storage, processing facilities and prospective buyers leading to heavy monetary losses,” he added.
Echoing the sentiments of the area’s pineapple farmers, Lientinlal, secretary of BLP said: “We cannot imagine the wastage of one year produce. We invest a lot of labour and available resources with the hope of making a marginal return. We are helpless and our only hope now is the State Government to salvage us from our plight.
“Imagine that you don’t even get the smallest return of your investment that involves huge labour, the future is bleak and all hope is lost,” Ms Thienzanieng rued.
It is worth mentioning here that while attending the State level Manipur Pineapple Festival at Khousabung in 2018 Chief Minister N Biren said that the State Government had included Khousabung in the list of selected places where food processing unit having cold storage facility would be constructed. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also assured to revamp the road leading to Khousabung.
Elaborating the need to set up a cold storage facility, a progressive farmer from Khousabung, Gina said the setting up of storage facility would serve its purpose more particularly in times and circumstances such as now.
Pineapple harvesting season in the area starts from mid July.
"The pineapple farmers are plunging into unanticipated disaster and how the Govt responds to this humane tragedy and the consequent distress call remains to be seen in the immediate future,” a pineapple farmer from Khousabung said.
“Our fruits are perishing each day because the summer heat is rising, which damages the fruit fast,” a progressive pineapple farmer from Harmontlang said while asking the Govt’s immediate intervention to ease the hardship faced by the pineapple farmers.
“We hope our State Govt coordinate with the Centre or any other agency to ensure that buyers are able to buy the produce from the fields here and make arrangements to ensure that the pineapple produce reaches the markets,” wished Zen Gangte, chief of Khousabung.