Pineapple price rises due to lockdown in Kerala, allege fruit sellers

Kochi (Kerala) [India], April 19 (ANI): Fruit sellers in Kerala on Sunday alleged that the price of pineapple has gone up as the supply has been affected due to the lockdown and wholesalers have increased the price to Rs 17 per kg which was Rs 13 prior to lockdown.
Rasheed, who was seen selling pineapple on the roadside, said that this fruit comes from Vazhakkulam and due to the lockdown, the supply has affected which has led the price of pineapple to go up.
"The pineapple comes from farmers in different places, especially from Vazhakkulam. The pineapple, which was previously available to us at Rs 13 per kilogram, now costs us Rs 17 per kg due to the lack of supply. If the lockdown continues, the price will go up," Rasheed said.
Another seller Suresh said that his business was hit as only people who were coming on vehicles were buying the fruit and other than that nobody wants to buy it. He said that he won't be able to stay in this situation for so long.
"At present, the daily wage people have been severely affected in all sectors. In our case, few people who are coming on vehicles are the buyers. Other than that, nobody came to buy this. Due to the restrictions of vehicles, the business has been affected badly. We can't go on with this situation much longer," Suresh told ANI.
The lockdown was earlier scheduled to end on April 14 and has been extended till May 3 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (ANI)