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.
