Daijiworld Media Network – Ballari / Koppal

Ballari/Koppal, Oct 12: Farmers in North Karnataka are grappling with severe financial distress as the prices of two key crops — maize (jola) and pomegranate (dalimbe) — have crashed dramatically, dashing the hopes of cultivators ahead of the festive season.

In Siruguppa taluk of Ballari district, maize growers who had invested heavily during the monsoon are now struggling to recover even their basic cultivation costs. Maize was cultivated across 2,680 hectares in the region, with an expected production of 2.34 lakh metric tonnes.

While the yield has been considered encouraging — around 30 to 35 quintals per acre — market prices have plunged to Rs 1,700–2,000 per quintal, a sharp fall from last year’s rates of Rs 2,600–2,800.

Farmers say that cultivating and processing maize costs around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000 per acre, but at the current market rates, the returns yield only Rs 10,000–15,000 in profit, making the effort unsustainable. They are demanding that the government establish a permanent maize procurement centre in the taluk to help ensure fair pricing and protect farmers from market volatility.

Basavaraj, a farmer from Tekkalakote, voiced his frustration, stating, “Popcorn maize, which was fetching Rs 5,550 per quintal just a month ago, has now dropped to Rs 4,300. We can’t afford these sudden losses.”

Echoing similar concerns, farmer leader B Mallikarjun alleged that traders at the Ballari APMC market have full control over price determination, leaving farmers with little option but to sell their produce at lower rates due to transport limitations and lack of alternatives.

Meanwhile, in Kushtagi taluk of Koppal district, pomegranate growers are facing an equally dire situation. Once considered a profitable crop, pomegranate has seen a drastic fall in prices. Last year, premium-quality fruit sold at Rs 210 per kg, and even in July this year, it fetched between Rs 150–180 per kg. However, current rates have nosedived to just Rs 60–70 per kg.

“Waiting for better prices only worsened our situation — many fruits cracked due to unseasonal rain, and diseases like fruit rot and anthracnose spread rapidly,” said farmer Ramesh Konasagara, who is among dozens of growers now in a desperate position.

Veeresh Turakani, a veteran cultivator with over two decades of experience, remarked, “I have never seen such low prices in my entire farming career. We’ve spent lacs to grow export-quality fruits under protective cultivation, but now we’re struggling to recover even half of our investment.”

Agricultural experts attribute the price crash to a surge in pomegranate supply from Maharashtra and Gujarat, where the fruit is selling for as low as Rs 50 per kg. This has dragged down rates in Karnataka, despite its superior quality produce.

With both maize and pomegranate prices in free fall, many farmers in Siruguppa and Kushtagi say the festive season has brought anxiety rather than celebration. The absence of a stable pricing mechanism, coupled with input cost inflation and unpredictable market forces, is turning farming into a perilous gamble.

Farmers now fear that without immediate government intervention — including procurement support, market regulation, and transport assistance — the ongoing crisis could push many further into debt and discourage future cultivation.