The Rs 200-crore perishable products export from three Kerala airports ended unceremoniously as the last consignment was sent off on Thursday.
Exporting organisations decided to fold up the overseas business because of poor realisation on account of a strong rupee and rising local costs. The downing of export shutters has put at least 10,000 farmers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in a fix.
?There are only two options to retrieve the business,? says Dil Koshi, secretary, Agricultural Products Exporters Association. ?One, importer clients (mostly in the Gulf) could decide to pay Rs 10 per kilo extra for the greens. Two, the Centre and the State Governments could pitch in support.?
Many of the current export contracts had been entered into when the dollar was valued at Rs 44. Truant rains have also pushed up the cost price of fruits and vegetables.
At 60 tonne per day, the Thiruvananthapuram airport was known to clock the highest fruits and vegetable exports from the country.
Overall, through the three airports (Kochi-15 tonne daily, Kozhikode-10 tonne daily), the state exports Rs 170-crore worth fruits and vegetables. Factoring in other semi-processed foods too, Kerala contributes to the perishable products export by about Rs 200 crore.
So far, it was cross-subsidisation from relatively low-cost fruits that had sustained perishable products export. ?This is on it last leg,? Koshi said.