Demand for fruits rises as temperatures soar

With the day time temperatures rising across the state, fruits like watermelon are such in demand. Meanwhile, people living in the interiors are struggling to cope with water shortage.

Adilabad is experiencing day time temperatures between 30° C to 40° C, forcing the people to confine themselves indoors, especially in the afternoons. 

Markets are dotted with the fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, grapes, coconut, sapota, orange and sugarcane and traders are doing brisk business. Middlemen are also making brisk business with the leafy vegetables in the local markets.

Sugarcane juice is the flavor of the season and man care crushing centers have sprung up in Adilabad town. Needless to say, business is good. Farmers have taken to watermelon cultivation in Adilabad and Kumarambheem Asifabad districts and fruit vendors are also importing them from bordering Maharashtra. Water-based fruits are preferred t overcome dehydration, a major cause for worry during the summers.  .

Dr Naitham Sumalatha, MD, a general physician in Adilabad towns said that people must take more liquids and sufficient water to avoid electrolytes imbalance in the body and dehydration caused by hot weather conditions. She said that cotton clothes help in keeping the body cool.

She said that people complain of headache and fall sick with sunstroke when exposed to blistering heat for a sustained period of time.

     

Doctors advised the people to cover the head with cloth for protection against  heatwaves and dehydration and take more water at the regular intervals  to remain hydrated and keep primary medical kits on hand for people working under the hot sun. Students writing their examinations must take extra precautions  to avoid sunstroke and dehydration.

Leafy vegetables in good demand as mercury rises

Leafy vegetables are in good demand in the wake of hot summer. The prices of leafy vegetables increased two folds and also their sales as they are popular Chaluva Akukuralu (cool leafy vegetable).

People preferring green leafy vegetables more in the hot summer as they contain water quantity and that keeps the body cool. People are purchasing more leafy vegetable such as Gangavailikura and two varieties of Thotakura these days. These vegetables are popular as summer leafy vegetables.

Ramagiri Rajalingu, a roadside vender at Ichoda, said he sells nearly 100 bundles of ‘Gangavailikura’ alone per day besides other leafy vegetables and people asking for leafy vegetables more as temperatures rise. ‘He sells two bundles of Gangavailikura for Rs 15.'

Farmers are growing leafy vegetables during summer on seeing the demand for them and getting good profits when compared to other crops, but irrigation facility is vital to growing these leafy vegetables.

Curry with Gangavaili leafs mixed with mango is popular as it gives different taste beside the water content.

Vegetable cultivation is picking up in Utnoor division and Adilabad divisions. But, most of the farmers who grow vegetables are not getting good prices while middlemen are making brisk business.

Growing the vegetables to meet the demand is very important otherwise the prices will fall when there is good yield like tomato. Most of the tomato farmers had incurred huge loss, as there was no price.

Some of the farmers even left their standing tomato crop for cattle grazing, as they were not even getting money equivalent to their transportation charges when they sell the tomato.