Lemon Farmers Crushed by Price Crash, Fruits Abandoned on Trees

Lemon farmers are facing unprecedented financial losses. While lemons sold for over ₹100 per kilogram during the same period last year, prices have now drastically fallen to just ₹15–₹20 per kilogram. This unforeseen collapse in prices has caused deep distress among the farming community.

In Eluru district, lemons are cultivated across thousands of acres. Encouraged by last year’s record-high prices, many farmers—especially tenant farmers—took up cultivation on leased land, paying between ₹1,00,000 and ₹1,50,000 per acre. However, starting from early May this year, prices plummeted suddenly, leaving farmers in a dire situation where even their investments cannot be recovered.

“The price of lemons exceeded ₹100 per kilogram last year, but now it’s not even enough to cover harvest labor costs,” farmers lamented. As a result, many groves are witnessing a heartbreaking scene: lemons are left unharvested and ripening on the trees. Farmers who invested lakhs of rupees, or leased orchards for high amounts, are now drowning in debt. Several expressed anguish that they are unable to recover even half of what they had invested.

Some farmers alleged that traders and middlemen have colluded to artificially suppress lemon prices. In addition to this, unseasonal rains have affected both crop yield and fruit quality, contributing further to the price crash. Farmers are now urging the government to intervene immediately by ensuring a remunerative price for lemons and taking action against trader syndicates to provide relief to the struggling agricultural community.