Maha farmers start fresh fruit cake 'movement' to sustain during pandemic

Fruit growers in rural Maharashtra have started an innovative movement to promote fresh fruit cakes as a healthier option instead of the traditional bakerymade cakes to celebrate birthdays and other special occasionsAccording to farmers and agrarian experts the aim of this spontaneous movement which is gaining popularity on social media is to encourage farmers and their families to increase the intake of fruits in their diet and to find a new way of selling their produce in the times of COVID19As part of the movement farmers their families and various organisations of cultivators are encouraging cakes made locally using fruits like watermelon muskmelon grapes orange pineapple and banana while celebrating special events Deepak Chavan a Punebased agriculture analyst told PTI that of late the production of fruits in several regions of the state has increased leading to a surplus supply in markets and causing a drop in the prices of fruitsFarmers have already suffered due to the lockdown and now due to surplus supply traders are purchasing their produce at lower rates he said As a solution farmers have started this innovative movement on social media where cakes made of fresh fruits are being used to celebrate birthdays marriage anniversaries and other events Chavan saidGenerally it has been seen that fruit cultivators and their families do not consume adequate fruits as part of their diet he said The movement is serving the right purpose as farmers and their families are now consuming fruits on different occasions in the form of fresh fruit cakes These cakes are far better than the bakerymade cakes which have less nutritional value he saidChavan said the movement is currently restricted to farmers and their families but he is hopeful it will become a sustainable solution for all fruit growers Hoy Amhi Shetkari a farmers organisation is holding a fresh fruits cake competition on social media Participants are supposed to make cakes using only locally available fruitsAs the fresh fruit cake movement is picking up steam we decided to hold a competition and invited entries from people to send photos and videos of fresh fruits cakes said Sanglibased farmer Amol Patil who is a member of the group He said they have so far received over 150 entries with people and farmers sending pictures of their fresh fruit cakes Patil said their organisations social media platform wall is now abuzz with pictures of fresh fruit cakes sent by farmers their families and other peopleSome people are also using their decorative skills to make the cakes more attractive by using locally available fruits he said The movement is at a nascent stage and professional and commercial touch is needed to make the endeavour more sustainable to support farmers and their produce he said Taking a cue from the movement and going a step ahead Mahendra Tekade proprietor of Bhaji Bazar an Amravati based fruit and vegetable delivery startup said they are in the process of starting a fresh fruit cake outlet thereWe are into farming and horticulture for last several years Since we are into the delivery of fresh agriproduce at the doorsteps of customers we have a supply chain and the infrastructure so we are now setting up an outlet where fresh fruit cakes will be made available to customers said Tekade To make the entire enterprise more professional Tekade said they are in talks with some salad decorators to help them in designing trendy fruit cakes In a bid to attract children towards this initiative we are also trying to carve out shapes of Micky Mouse Barbie doll and other exciting designs on fruit cakes he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever