The summer showers, though widely welcomed by farmers, have come as a bane for farmers who had raised cucumber at Iniyanur on the outskirts of the city.

A large number of farmers traditionally go for the summer crop every year as it brings them a supplementary income.

According to local farmers, the crop starts bearing fruit from 30 days and normally the fruits are harvested till about 90 days.

But this year, the entire crop in a large area in the village has been damaged due to the rain that lasted for five consecutive days. The fruits at the harvest stage have rotted on the field.

“The rain was most untimely. The fruits have all rotted and we do not know whether we can even recover the seeds, which are sold at a good rate. Never before we have sustained such a loss,” said Neelavathi, a farmer.

Farmers have invested Rs.10,000 to Rs.25,000 depending on the area cultivated. A good harvest would get returns up to Rs.50,000 an acre, they said. Some have raised the crop on leased land. They normally sell fruits to traders visiting the village and some of them even carry the fruits to the city to sell them by themselves. In view of the rain, buyers are not visiting the village.

“Normally, this part of the region does not receive heavy summer rain. But this time, it has come at a wrong time for us. We have sustained heavy losses,” said Arumugam, another farmer.

The fruits are normally in big demand during the summer as they are considered to help reduce body heat. A large number of women sell fruits directly in the city, especially along Pudukottai Road overbridge and the Gandhi Market areas in the city.

Source - http://www.thehindu.com