Betel leaves are grown at Payakaraopeta in Visakhapatnam district and the nearby areas in East Godavari district by a few farmers in soils suitable for the crop, but they are suffering for want of marketing facilities.
Notwithstanding a good crop, betel leaf farmers of Satyavaram village village are suffering. Growing production and overhead costs coupled with the declining demand from upcountry markets are worrying farmers.
Satyavaram betel leaf tastes good and has a greater shelf life compared to the one produced in other States, it is said. There are around 4,000 people in Satyavaram, who are dependent on betel farming either directly or indirectly.
At old tiled shed at Satyavaram junction, workers can be seen grading the betel leaves. The leaves are washed, neatly arranged by deft hands, bundled and packed in cane baskets for transport to the nearby Tuni railway Station and RTC bus station for onward transport or by trucks directly to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and other places.
“I have lost crop in five acres due to the leaf disease. The leaf turns ripe (yellow) rendering it unfit for consumption,” said S. Ramu. Ramu, a betel leaf farmer himself, who is also a betel leaf trader and exports produce to other States. He also buys the leaves from other small farmers and markets them.
The high price of the leaf last year is, however, attributed by some to the scarcity of betel leaf as large extent of crop in Satyavaram was destroyed in the December 2010 cyclone. To make matters worse, the cost of lorry transport has increased from Rs 40 a bag to Rs 60 a bag due to the rise in fuel costs.
“Betel crop has to be grown for about eight months after which the leaves can be cut once a month. The land lease rates have also gone up to Rs 25,000 an acre for a year in Satyavaram compounding the problem,” says Mr Satti Babu.