Guwahati: Gamairimura farmers are hauling thousands of tonnes of pineapple to market, but they are leaving empty-handed. The fruit is popular. The money is not. During the July 24 weekly market, crowds of buyers descended on the Assam-Meghalaya border to snatch up the harvest. Still, the growers barely break even.
About 2,000 farmers work this soil. They grow between 2,500 and 3,000 metric tonnes of pineapples each year. It is a massive output for a small region. Despite this, local families struggle to pay the bills. The growers claim they need government help to fix broken pricing systems and supply chains.
The list of grievances is long. Fluctuating prices and high labour costs kill their margins. There are no cold storage facilities to protect the crop. Farmers say these issues threaten the future of their entire industry. One cultivator noted that to fix this, "better market linkages, improved pricing mechanisms and government intervention are essential to ensure sustainable growth."
Growth is happening, but it is not helping the people working the fields. Growers are now demanding the state build better infrastructure to move their product. They want a fair shake for a fruit that is famous across the region.
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