Panamaram: Banana farmers in Wayanad are staring at a crisis as prices for the fruit plunge yet again. With traders halting purchases, freshly harvested banana bunches are left to ripen and rot in the fields, leaving growers struggling to salvage even a fraction of their hard-earned produce.

Just a week ago, bananas were selling for Rs.1,500 per quintal in the district. By Thursday, however, prices plunged further, falling to between Rs.1,000 and Rs.1,300 per quintal, the lowest in three years.

Two months ago, a quintal of bananas had fetched Rs.2,600 and even during this Onam season, prices barely reached half of what farmers had hoped for. Local traders cite increased production in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, along with reduced demand for Wayanad-grown bananas, as the main reasons for this steep decline.

For the farmers in Wayanad, it’s the lowest price the crop has seen in three years.

Wayanad is one of the top banana-growing districts in the state and many farmers here rely solely on banana cultivation for their livelihood. But growing bananas isn’t cheap. When the costs of chemical fertilizers and labor are taken into account, cultivating just one acre can cost up to Rs.1.8 lakh. With current prices, farmers are barely earning around Rs.1 lakh per acre.

A key reason for the surge in banana production is that many Malayalis who used to grow ginger in Karnataka have switched to banana cultivation. Across panchayats such as Panamaram, Kaniyampatta, Kottathara, Padinjarathara, Thariyode, Thavinjal, Thondernad, Vellamunda, Edavaka and Pozhuthana, countless families are now depending on banana farming as their main source of income.

Farmers say that for cultivation to be viable, bananas should fetch at least Rs.35 per kilogram. Adding to their troubles, traders have been unwilling to buy bananas over the past few days.

These days, when farmers inquire about prices, traders often respond that bananas are not being procured and advise them to hold off on harvesting. But if ready-to-harvest banana bunches are left unpicked, they quickly spoil, leaving farmers with no choice but to chase traders just to sell their produce.

In many instances, delays in transporting banana bunches from the market have led to substantial losses for both farmers and traders. Only a few chip-manufacturing units are now buying bananas directly from farmers, and even then, only in limited quantities.

Despite the steep fall in prices, there has been no government intervention to protect farmers or ensure a minimum support price.

With traders refusing to buy ripe banana bunches, farmers are often left with no option but to feed them to livestock. Having battled harsh weather and wildlife to cultivate their crops, they are now calling on the government to guarantee fair prices for their produce.