Custard apples help women from Peddapalli, Jagtial find livelihood in Mancherial

Foodies of the town and shoppers from different parts of the district are now swarming IB Chowrasta and other spots to buy the seasonal fruits, considering a slew of health benefits

Mancherial: Elderly women from the neighboring Peddapalli and Jagtial districts are able to find a livelihood by selling custard apples, locally known as sitafal, in Mancherial town.

Scores of women aged between 40 and 70 belonging to Dharmaram village in Velgatur mandal of Peddapalli district and from Yendapalli and Gullakota villages in Yendapalli mandal in Jagtial district arrive in the Mancherial district headquarters carrying loads of custard apples by auto-rickshaws every day. They sell the fruits to people on roadside at IB Chowrasta, Ganga Reddy chowk and other junctions.

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Keethi Bhagyalakshmi, a 65-year-old fruit vendor from Dharmaram said she had been selling the apples in the town since 1980. She stated that she was able to earn her livelihood selling the fruit here. Stating that she could earn between Rs.300 and Rs.700 per day selling the fruits, she said the fruits were priced at Rs 100 a dozen.

She recalled that the price was just Rs 1 per five fruits 40 years ago. She further recounted that she used to roam the streets of not only Mancherial, but Naspur and Srirampur towns to sell the fruits to coal miners by carrying the fruits in wooden baskets in the past. She said that they were now using major junctions of the town.

The women said that their men would gather the fruits from the forests located on hillocks near their villages. They stated that the hillocks would be auctioned by local civic bodies. The winners of the auction would be permitted to pluck the fruits. They would then ripen the fruits using unharmful ways such as by keeping them in gunny bags and paddy straws.

Foodies of the town and shoppers from different parts of the district are now swarming IB Chowrasta and other spots to buy the seasonal fruits, considering a slew of health benefits. Nutritionists said that custard apples are rich sources of such as fibres, minerals, and vitamins, among other vital nutrients. The fruits contain antioxidants, flavonoids, Vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium. Eating the fruits can help prevent heart diseases and different cancers, depression, deficiency of minerals, besides treating skin infections. It enhances brain activity, while improving eye health and immune system. , they say.