Karnataka - Hassan   

Coffee growers’ association appeals for support to farmers

Staff Correspondent

‘Coffee Board, Sambar Mandali have failed to respond to their problems’

HASSAN: The Hassan District Coffee Planters’ Association has appealed to the Government to respond to the problem of coffee growers as the Coffee Board and Sambar Mandali had allegedly failed to do so. It says also that some banks are not implementing the Vidharba package and are thereby pushing the growers to commit suicide.

President of the association H.H. Udaya said in a press release here on Thursday that earlier the growers had experienced crop failure because of the scarcity of rain and pests. This had been followed by a crash in the prices. In the past three to four days, however, heavy rain accompanied by strong wind had resulted in an uprooting of coffee and pepper plants. In addition, the leaves of coffee plants had withered in Sakleshpur and Alur taluks, where coffee was grown on a larger area of land, he said.

Mr. Udaya said that in one day, Goddu area had received 15 inches of rain, Devaladakere 13 inches, and Devi Halli area of Sakleshpur taluk eight inches. Torrential rain accompanied by heavy wind had resulted in the uprooting of a large number of coffee plants. Supplementary crops such as plantain, Yelachi and areca nut were also uprooted, he said.

He said that it had been the same case with paddy cultivation. Initially, the scarcity of rain had caused paddy seedlings to wither on 50 per cent of the area of cultivation. However, the torrential rain and strong wind had resulted in the remaining seedlings also being washed away. The crop losses and crash in prices had taken the growers to the brink of committing suicide. Added to this, some banks were not implementing the Vidharba package, he said. He appealed to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to intervene and come to the rescue of farmers and prevent them from committing suicide.

Mr. Udaya said that while earlier the elephant menace had been limited to the Arakalagudu and Alur taluks, it had now spread to Sakleshpur taluk. In one week, two people had died in Hethhur and Yesaluru hobli and coffee, areca nut and Yelachi crops damaged. He said the Forest Department was not adopting a scientific approach in the shifting of elephants. If they were pushed from Alur taluk, they would surface in Sakleshpur taluk and vice versa. He appealed to the Government to catch all wild elephants and shift them to the deep forests so that they would not resurface.

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