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Neeleswaram: The price of nendran bananas hit record high recently. For the last week the cost was Rs 65 to Rs 70 per kilogram. Rs 70 is being charged in urban areas while Rs 65 in rural areas. Prior to the price hike, the rate remained the same for almost three months.
The vendors claimed that transportation of nendrans from Wayanad was stalled and this led to the current price rise. Along with this, a sudden drop in the quantity of bananas carried from Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu also caused the steep increase in the cost. The traders opined that the price may soar even more.
The rise in nendran price also affected the sales of chips. Only 2.5 kilogram of chips can be made from 10 kilogram of banana. Hence, the bakery owners said that selling chips is not at all profitable now.
The price of baby bananas also soared with nendran bananas. It includes the varieties of red banana (‘kadhali’), ’njali poovan’, ‘palayankodan’ and dessert banana (‘mysore banana’). Red bananas costs Rs 60 per kilogram while dessert bananas which usually costs below Rs 40 hit Rs 50 per kilogram.
Though the price hike troubled the consumers, the farmers are in great relief now. Currently, the middlemen collect bananas by giving Rs 55 per kilogram to the farmers. Two years ago, the farmers received only Rs 28 for a kilogram.
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