The world is watching as Indians deal with the currency crises following the Nov 8 announcement by the PM Narendra Modi.

With WhatsApp, Facebook, News Sites, NewsPapers and all forms of media having a gala time on the Pro-Con synthesis following the announcement, Custard Apple (Sitaphal) growers in the tribal areas of Udaipur have found immunity against the “Note” effect.

With business and sales dipping all around, tribal households in Teja Ka Vas at Kotra Village near Udaipur are earning Rs. 10,000 – Rs. 15,000 per family, on an average over the past weeks – selling the Apple to traders from the city.  Their cash inflow is least affected.

Anandaram Garasiya, the Sarpanch of Teja Ka Vas says that villagers pluck the self growing fruit and sell it off to traders in the Mandi. Custard Apple fetches a high price of Rs. 100 approximately, but the villagers get a meager profit due to the involvement of middle men.  This time however, the Panchayat decided on a fixed price of Rs. 250 per crate and no one was allowed to sell at any price either above or below this rate.  The Merchants now come to purchase directly and pay the price in denomination of Rs. 50 and Rs. 100.  The seller refuses any other currency.

Few merchants who do have Rs. 1000 or Rs. 500 notes get them exchanged at the nearest bank branch.  Some villagers are exchanging crates for seeds – currency crisis has affected those with black money, but our people are a contended lot, says Anandaram.

Custard Apple is a wild fruit needing no cultivation, and grows aplenty in areas like Kumbhalgarh; Gogunda and Kotra in Udaipur; Bheem village in Rajsamand and in several parts of Chittor, Pratapgarh and Sirohi.

Even women who are busy extracting the pulp of the fruit in the remote Nana Devla village in Kotra and Pindwara are not concerned on the money crisis as there is plenty of seasonal fruit which is flooding the vegetable market, with the Sitaphal managing a ticket rate of approximately Rs. 3,000 per kg.

Source: Media Reports (ToI)