Farmers dumped heaps of unsold pumpkins along the Namliang–Ampong roadside after prices collapsed to just ₹2 per kilogram, making sales unviable. Unable to cover costs, they left the pumpkins for passersby to take, while some chose to donate their harvest as pig feed or for community use. The farmers blamed their plight on the lack of market support and a defunct state-run mandi, leaving them disillusioned despite the area’s strong potential for pumpkin cultivation.