Kerala

A delicious solidarity: Kerala farmers send truckload of pineapples to farmers in Delhi

Twenty tonnes of pineapples were transported from Vazhakulam, known as the 'pineapple city,' to the Delhi border, where farmers have been protesting for over three weeks.

Written by : Neethu Joseph

A ‘delicious’ act of solidarity by a group of farmers in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, for the farmers camping at Delhi-Haryana Singhu border to protest against the three contentious farm laws, is gaining a lot of applause in social media. On Christmas eve, members of the Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association, centred at Vazhakulam in Ernakulam district, came together to send a truckload of pineapples to their northern counterparts. The gesture, which started gaining traction on social media, is gaining a lot of appreciation.

Vazhakulam, located near Ernakulam’s rural Muvattupuzha, is a major pineapple market in the state and is known as the 'pineapple city'. Talking to TNM, the farmers' group who sent the pineapples stated that the act was an expression of solidarity with the farmers who are protesting day and night out in the open, even in adverse weather conditions.

“When we thought about how we could extend solidarity, this idea came up and many came forward supporting it. We believe that this massive protest is not just for the farmers in Punjab or Haryana. They are protesting to protect the interests of each one of us. And that is why we are standing strong in solidarity with them,” said James George, President of the Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association.

The farmers have sent about 20 tonnes of pineapples on the truck. “We could have collected more and sent, but then it would have been in different stages of ripening and many might go useless. So we collected pineapples from one of the largest farms here to get the fruit’s ripening consistency. Other farmers in the association will compensate the farmer from whose farm it was harvested,” he said.

The truck was flagged off by Kerala's Agriculture Minister VS Sunil Kumar on December 24 night. The load is expected to reach Delhi by Monday.

Tweeting a photo of the Kerala farmers sending pineapples, Supreme Court lawyer and activist Prashant Bushan wrote, “This farmer's protest is unique. It is making people from across the country & religions bond with each other. It is spreading love (sic).”

Another Twitter user shared the image of the truck, recalling how Punjab had extended help to Kerala when the state was hit by floods. “In 2018, the Indian state of Kerala was hit by devastating floods, Khalsa Aid carried out amazing seva in Kerala !⁣ ⁣Today as our Panjabi farmers protest in Delhi the people of Kerala have delivered a huge truck full of pineapples for the farmers !! (sic)” the tweet said.

“Kerala farmers sending pineapples from Kerala for Farmers protesting at Singhu border. Love attracts love. Punjab stood with Kerala in many difficult times,” another user tweeted.

Meanwhile, though some reports state that Kerala’s pineapple movement to northern states has been affected due to the road blockades by the protestors, Kerala farmers state that they will bear that for a larger good.

“It will be selfish of us to say this out loud. They are protesting for the greater good, so we are ready to bear the small loss we have now,” James added.

Thousands of farmers have been camping at three Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- for nearly a month, demanding the repeal of the three new farm laws, enacted in September, and a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price. While the government has presented these laws as major reforms aimed at helping farmers, protesting farmer unions have maintained these acts will leave them at the mercy of big corporates by weakening the mandi and MSP systems.

Read: Kerala farmers start indefinite protest in solidarity with farmers agitating in Delhi

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