The Hindu : Karnataka News : Yellow disease wreaking havoc

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Friday, Sep 07, 2007
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Karnataka

Yellow disease wreaking havoc

Nearly 70 p.c. of Kodagu’s areca crop is concentrated in Sampaje, Peraje and Chembu areas

DEVASTATION: Areca plants affected by yellow disease at Sampaje in Kodagu.

Yellow disease has caused widespread devastation in areca crop in Sampaje area of Kodagu. A visit to the disease-affected spots reveal the true story. Sampaje is spread in both Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada district. Farmers call it as Kodagu Sampaje and Dakshina Kannada Sampaje. The viral disease was first spotted at Goonadka in Dakshina Kannada district, not far away from the Kodagu border, 35 years ago. It has spread gradually to nearby areas, reaching Kodagu Sampaje. Dev astation has been complete in the last 10 years. Cash crops in Kodagu have been under attack for the last many years. Coffee is under pest attack, cardamom and banana were ruined by the Katte disease, orange is on the verge of extinction due to greening disease. Areca to Sampaje is like coffee to other parts of Kodagu district, says N.S. Deviprasad, once a progressive areca grower in Kodagu Sampaje. “I have lost 30 acres crop in the last 10 years,” he said. He complained that no one bothered to turn attention to the plight of the areca growers in Sampaje. Farmers did try to cultivate vanilla as an alternative crop but [they] are now comfortable with rubber, he said. Nearly 70 per cent of Kodagu’s areca crop is concentrated in the Sampaje, Peraje and Chembu areas. Areca crop has come under severe attack in Todikana, Markanja, Sampaje and Arantodu areas in Dakshina Kannada district. Kodagu Sampaje and Dakshina Kannada Sampaje could be forced to seek a united Sampaje taluk to demand better facilities, he said. The slump in areca production had also hit the labour community, which is dependent on it.

The leaves of Yellow disease-affected plants would gradually turn yellow and the decay would spread to the roots of the plant. Production would decline sharply and the plants die, B.A. Ganapathi, a resident of Sampaje-Kallala village said. It was a wonder that the farmers have put up with the devastation, he said. Though the price of dry areca hovered around Rs. 8,000 per quintal, import of the commodity had come as a blow to the farmers, he said. Assistant Director of the Department of Horticulture Anand clarified that the lack of micro-nutrients was the main cause for the destruction of the crop. Owing to the rampant spread of the disease in areca, the Government had come out with a rejuvenation scheme to help growers, Dr. Anand said. A micro-nutrient kit was being given to 60 farmers this year to treat the plants.

Jeevan Chinnappa in Sampaje, Kodagu

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