Its typical situation.
First, they are planted because of some elders suggestion to my family, where the elders live in lemon cultivation favourable market and where majority grow the same. Where they can sell their whole produce in one go by private vendors from the farmers farm itself. Even the plants are bought from there which are very well known lemon variety developed favourable to that state environment and soil it seems.
Here, in our native, which Is actually another state.
Everyone grows Paddy here and the whole village day by day job is to take care of Paddy farms.
When we got our first major harvest, it was Corona and the whole market and transport were closed. Tried selling in mandi where they bid. The whole people who bid in Mandi seems a group of their own and we can only sell for their price. As we couldn’t sell in mandi and the whole transport was closed. We sold them to local dealers, where they pluck when they need.
I tried posting in various forums, groups, export, import for finding a buyer but 8 out of 10 people were predicting as dealers and doing scams. They made me send produce as a sample to a random address, fake id’s, photos and then trying cheating by sending their UPI qr code to send money. The transport and labour costs were a loss and efforts were burden.
Tried finding a buyer in Hyderabad by visiting various lemon buying and selling warehouses. Plucking from a farm using wagers, packing, transporting to nearby bus station and from there transporting to hyderabad by paying parcel fee was not fetching any noticeable savings.
A local dealer, seeing the produce took it for a lease earlier but he didn’t continue this year and he just takes whatever amount of lemons he needs now and no other dealers are also interested to lease but pluck whatver the amount they need on day to day basis from nearby towns.
It’s been almost 7 years, there was only expense until now without any profits. The whole village is noticing this and whenever we go out, the only word of mouth is our lemon farm and putting in more misery.
This has become a burden for the family and can’t take wait 4-5 months more for next major harvest and then again finding a buyer, putting wagers… Etc. They seem to think every person is busy taking care of their paddy farms but we waiting for harvest, buyers and doing nothing.
After a lot of discussion, the family wants to get rid of lemon plantation and just grow Paddy just like everyone else without much burden efforts and sell them directly here for whatver MSP is offered. If it’s loss, they may look for hopes next season incase of Paddy but can’t wait years in the hopes of finding a direct buyer or dealers who wants to lease.
I tried every way for finding a right buyer or manufacturer who wants lemon or even trying to make a product from them. There is 0% help from Government too. With all the expenses, couldn’t take insurance nor any schemes except the dripping system at start. I was putting hopes to my family that everything goes well but I can’t make them live anymore with this burden hearing all the village people who just wants to talk about other people problems.
So removing them and stating a Paddy farm is very quick turnaround time. So that’s it.
I hope my experience maybe a guide for someone else and will be aware of the problems when there is no market or buyers for a farming crop.
