Mysuru: Just a couple of days into the war in West Asia, farmers in Karnataka have started to feel the heat. With flights severely affected, from eggs and milk products to vegetables, suppliers of perishable items have been hit. As nations in the Middle East remain major markets for farm produce from Karnataka, farmers here fear difficult days ahead.According to Madhu Chandan S C, the founder and CEO of Organic Mandya, 2,000 bottles of organic ghee shipped by his firm are now on hold in Bengaluru due to flight cancellations. “This consignment was headed to the US, via Dubai. But now, due to flight cancellations, the container is held up in Bengaluru,” he explained. National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) zonal president Satish Babu cautioned: “Every day, an average of 70 lakh eggs are exported from the southern states to Arab countries. As egg exports have now stopped, it is expected that this stock will enter the local markets in South India, resulting in excess supply.” “Due to the summer and Ramdan, egg demand has already fallen in local markets. Disruption in exports will add to the misery,” he warned. Eggs, which were being sold for Rs 530 for 100 units in the wholesale market on Thursday, fell to Rs 510 in Mysuru and Bengaluru markets on Monday. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Badagalapura Nagendra warned that vegetable growers are also likely to feel the heat if exports do not resume soon. “Vegetables are exported to various countries in the Middle East. Now, with exports down, a price crash is expected,” he warned.
