Karnataka - Mangalore   

Arecanut growers seek relief, support price

MANGALORE: Taken aback by aggravating disease and falling of trees, the areca nut growers in coastal Karnataka and Kerala have initiated a process to seek the intervention of the two governments in addressing their grievances.

After representing their grievances to Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achutanadan on Monday, they are set to meet Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday.

This year, a majority of plantations in the undivided Dakshina Kannada are suffering from “Kole roga” (fruit rot disease), and falling of trees owing to heavy wind. There is also the threat of “yellow-leaf” disease that may affect the plantations later this year.

More than 40,000 hectares of land was under areca nut cultivation in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, according to sources in Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO), formed by areca nut growers of Karnataka and Kerala. The production of white areca nut is estimated at around 80,000 tonnes a year. This is likely to come down by 30 per cent this year owing to the disease. In such an event, the production will be reduced by about 24,000 tonnes and the revenue by over Rs. 144 crore.

S.R. Rangamurthy, president of CAMPCO, told The Hindu that continuous rain that occurred in the region between June and August had prevented the farmers from spraying copper sulphate and limestone mixture. As a result, the fruit rot disease had spread all over the area.

A delegation of areca nut growers would meet Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bangalore on Tuesday and apprise him of the plight of farmers.

They would be seeking a compensation at Rs. 10,000 an acre. In addition, the Government would be requested to announce a support price of Rs. 10 for one Kg between December and March. For example, if the market price rules at Rs. 70 a kg of areca nut, the Government could pay Rs. 10 on every kg of nut sold through an agency fixed by it, he said.

Manchi Srinivasa Achar, president, All India Areca Growers’ Association, Puttur, said the disease was wide-spread in Sullia, Belthangady and Puttur taluks. According to an estimate, the farmers in this belt had suffered huge loss.

Mr. Achar said the association had requested the Government to order a survey on crop-loss. “The loss is around Rs. 300 crore”, he said.

Mr. Achar said there were many agriculture universities in the State but they had not been able to find a permanent remedy for the fruit rot and yellow-leaf diseases.

Another problem was the shortage of farm labourers and skilled workers in the district which had increased the production cost, he said.

A delegation led by B. Nagaraja Shetty, Minister for Fisheries and Endowment, met Mr. Achutanandan, Chief Minister of Kerala, at Kasaragod on Monday. The latter had promised to consider their demands, Mr. Rangamurthy said.

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