Farmers in Kerala are facing significant challenges in transporting pineapples to northern India due to a shortage of lorries, which is linked to the rising prices of onions. While the demand for pineapples remains strong, with a fair market price for both ripe and raw varieties, the shortage of transport vehicles is disrupting the smooth delivery of the fruit to key markets in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. Traditionally, lorries traveling from Kerala to bring onions to northern India would also carry pineapples to these destinations. However, as onion prices have surged, fewer lorries are making the return trips, resulting in a shortage of vehicles for transporting pineapples.
The situation was further compounded during the Diwali season when many lorry drivers took time off, exacerbating the already strained transport system. NA Soman, a local pineapple farmer, highlighted that the issue became especially pronounced during the festival, causing delays in the movement of produce.
The onion shortage, worsened by heavy rains in October, has driven prices up, with retail onions in Maharashtra now costing Rs 120 per kilogram and wholesale prices in Nashik at Rs 85. This shortage is expected to ease by December when the next onion harvest is anticipated, which could lead to more lorries being available for transporting pineapples. Currently, ripe pineapples are priced at Rs 46 per kilogram, while raw pineapples sell for Rs 40, although this is lower than their peak price of Rs 55 in September. However, farmers are still grappling with reduced production, which dropped by 40% due to hot weather earlier in the year and a shortage of plantlets.
