Perfect smooth and soft golden yellow globe, that is how the Kani Vellari (golden cucumber) is preferred in the Vishu market. A little less smooth or pale and this particular brand of cucumber is nothing more than a vegetable. Keeping it perfect for the eyes of the Vishu shopper is the biggest challenge faced by the farmers, and it is even more dificult this year due to the rising temperature.
“The fruit cracks open if it is too hot. Every year we lose around 40% of our crop this way. But this year it is more than 50%,” said Manoharan Chennamparambath, a Kani Vellari farmer in Peruvayal, Kozhikode.
Manoharan has cultivated this particular species of Cucumber in around 3.2 acres of land spread across the bordering Peruvayal and Mavoor grama panchayats. He has sold around 8 tonnes of cucumber for the last Vishu season and is expecting a sale of at least 7 tonnes this year. The crop is sold for around ₹50 per kg, though the market price is around ₹60 per fruit.
“I have been cultivating Kani Vellari for the last 20 years. It is quick money, as it takes only around two months to harvest. But the loss in terms of cracked fruits is escalating every year. If the temperature rises further, this business will no longer be profitable,” Mr.Manoharan said.
They mostly use organic manure, including cow dung, goat dung, and chicken poop, as base for the cucumber seeds with a small amount of chemical fertiliser added to ensure a healthy crop. The sowing often takes place by mid February and the harvest is in early April. The fruits take just ten days to ripen and are perfect for plucking.
Besides the temperature, Porcupines and Wild Boars have been playing spoilsport for the Kani Vellari farmers over the past few years. “The animals destroy the crop, not just fruits, but plants too,” Balakrishnan Chembayi, another farmer said.
Despite being profitable, neither Manoharan, nor Balakrishnan wish for their children to take farming up as a profession. “One need not waste one’s ripe years on agriculture. Better take it up once you are retired. It is too risky and too much hard work to earn a decent living,” Balakrishnan explained the reason for several cucumber farms shutting down in nearby Kuttikkattoor, which used to be a hub of the crop a few years ago.
