The Hindu Business Line : Karnataka unveils relief package for areca farmers

Bail out plan
Subsidy limited to a maximum of 10 quintals for each grower.
A meeting of areca growers will be held after 2 months to review the situation.

Our Bureau

Mangalore, Sept. 4

The Karnataka Government has agreed to release Rs 10 crore for the arecanut sector, which has been affected by fruit rot disease, according to Mr S.R. Rangamurthy, President of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd.

This decision was taken at a meeting convened by the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yediyurappa, in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Mr Rangamurthy, who attended the meeting, told Business Line from Bangalore over phone that the State Government has agreed to release Rs 10 a kg as subsidy to the growers affected by fruit rot disease. But there is a limit of a max imum of 10 quintals for each grower. This translates into a maximum subsidy of Rs 10,000 for each grower.

Committee formation

The Deputy Chief Minister has also decided to convene a meeting of arecanut growers after two months to review the situation. A committee, involving representatives from agriculture and horticulture departments, will be formed to look into the problem of fruit rot disease and find a solution to it.

Mr Rangamurthy said that around 300 growers from various parts of Karnataka, including Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Shimoga districts, attended the meeting.

PACKAGE SOUGHT

While addressing a press conference in the day, Mr M.N. Rajendra Kumar, President of the Mangalore-based South Canara District Central Cooperative (SCDCC) Bank Ltd, demanded that both the Central and the State governments release a compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare of arecanut plantations.

The bank has estimated the loss to arecanut sector due to fruit rot disease in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts at Rs 250 crore.

Mr Kumar said that nearly 70 per cent of arecanut crop has been lost due to the disease. In such a situation, both the Central and the State Governments should release a compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare of arecanut plantations.

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