A worried farmer left with 14,000 kg ash gourd, harvested by him at Badiadka in Kasaragod district, received help in the nick of time from Kerala Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar.
Thanks to the social media posts highlighting the plight of farmer Bykunje Shankaranarayana Bhat on WhatsApp and Facebook, the minister has acted immediately and directed Horticultural Products Development Corporation (Horticorp) to procure the entire lot.
The minister also spoke to Bhat over the phone. In a Facebook post, water conservation expert and Adike Pathrike editor Shree Padre said, “Such farmer-friendly gestures will remain long in memory. Hats off to Hon’ble Agri Minister V S Sunil Kumar!”
Horticorp officials also visited Bhat’s house and promised to buy ash gourd at the earliest. Following the lockdown, Bhat was unable to find a market for the ash gourd cultivated by him.
Bhat expressed deep gratitude to Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar, Horticorp and thousands of people who had stood behind him and shared his grievance on social media.