Karnataka   

Untimely rain turns grape growers’ dream sour

Lost: A flattened grape garden at Bijjaragi village, 30 km from Bijapur.

BIJJARAGI (BIJAPUR DISTRICT): After years of misery following the continued drought, grape growers in the region had started showing signs of recovery thanks to the good rainfall in the last two years. In fact, most of them were expecting a bumper harvest in the current season.

However, untimely rain in the last two days pushed them back to square one.

“We could not pay loan instalments in the last six years. But this time, we were planning to clear at least half of our debt as the crop was good. However, a spell of rainfall coupled with gusty wind shattered our dreams,” said Shrishail Kaamgonda, whose family lost a four-acre vineyard to nature’s fury.

All the grapevines have been flattened following the collapse of pillars and the wire meshing.

If they want to continue grape cultivation, the entire garden has to be redeveloped as the plantations have either been uprooted or their roots damaged.

The Kaamgondas borrowed Rs. 2 lakh from the PLD Bank and Rs. 3 lakh from Syndicate Bank besides raising some private loan. Initially, they developed a 10-acre plot, but six acres of plantation withered owing to drought that prevailed for four consecutive years from 2001.

They transported water from far away places, and managed to save grapevines in four acres.

“We were expecting at least Rs. 10 lakh income this season but it is a big zero now. We do not know how we will survive,” said Mr. Kaamgonda. Fellow horticulturists Ogeppa Biradar and Sidgonda Halagunaki have similar stories to narrate.

Bijjaragi is the worst hit village in the Tikota revenue circle that contributes a little over 60 per cent of district’s grape production. Crops are also damaged in other places such as Tikota, Babanagar, Kallakavatagi, Siddapur, Malakanadevarahatti, Somadevarahatti Kallakavatagi, Ittangihal, Arkeri, Takkalaki,. Bableshwar, Nidoni, Kannur, Nagathan, Gonasagi, Kanmadi, Tidgundi and Lohagaum.

The rain also caused heavy damage to raisins. According to secretary of the Karnataka State Grape Growers’ Association K.H. Mumbaraddi, approximately12,000 tonnes of grapes were under drying process, and at least half of it had been damaged.

Once they become wet in the drying process, the quality of raisin would be far low, and buyers would not quote it for not even one-third of its price. Also, grapes in harvesting stage had been developing cracks.

The growth of fungus was another major problem. The loss would run into several crores of rupees, said Mumbaraddi, a former faculty member in Regional (Agriculture) Research Station, Bijapur. Though he refused to draw a final figure of loss, Assistant Director, Department of Horticulture, V. Shashidhar said about 60 per cent of the crops had been affected in Tikota revenue circle, where the grape is cultivated on 8,000 acres of land.

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