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The arrival of new stocks of white arecanut is likely to be affected in 2014 because of fruit rot disease in plantations.
Usually, the new stocks of white arecanut arrive in the market during February-March.
Ganesh Bhat K., a farmer from Kavalkatte village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, told Business Line that most farmers have lost more than 65 per cent of their crops because of fruit rot disease in the plantations.
Some may not even get the amount they invested on their plantations this year.
M.G. Satyanarayana, Vice-President of All-India Arecanut Growers’ Association, said that some farmers in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district lost almost 100 per cent of the crop this year.
Some arecanut-growing regions witnessed more than 200 inches of rainfall this year. This increased the onset of the disease even more, he said.
Ramesh Kaintaje, a farmer from Bantwal taluk of the district, said that the crop loss is more than 60 per cent in the arecanut-growing regions in Karnataka.
“Though 25 per cent loss is common to all growers, it is nearly 80 per cent among 25 per cent of farmers in the region,” he said.
One of the main reasons for the rapid spread of fruit rot disease is the continuous rainfall for almost two months in the arecanut-growing regions.
Usually farmers spray copper sulphate solution to the plants at the beginning of the monsoon to prevent the onset of fruit rot disease.
Fruit rot is characterised by rotting and heavy shedding of immature nuts. Continuous heavy rainfall with intermittent bright sunshine hours, low temperature and high humidity are the factors suitable for the spread of disease.
Kaintaje said that there was a break of hardly 5-6 days for rain during the monsoon.
“How can villagers take up copper sulphate spraying with the limited manpower available in that short window? Added to this, there is labour scarcity to take up such activities,” he said.
Ganesh Bhat said that he has been involved in farming for the past two decades.
However, he did not see such a huge loss in arecanut plantations due to fruit rot disease.
Even plants are affected by this disease in some plantations, he said.
Bhat said that the research institutes meant for arecanut sector should focus on finding solutions to this problem.
Kaintaje said: “Arecanut research institute simply comes out with advisories on what needs to be done to prevent such diseases. Every farmer is aware of that. But what a farmer can do when there is no let up in rain? Did they (research institutes) suggest any alternatives to that?”
K. Padmanabha, President of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, said that fruit rot disease has made a huge impact in the major five arecanut growing districts in Karnataka.
Though Campco has given representations to the Government in this regard, the people’s representatives from these regions are silent on the issue, he said.
Urging the Government to increase the compensation to the affected farmers, he said the compensation should be directly disbursed to them.
Now the Government disburses Rs 4,800 as compensation for an acre of plantation. It should be increased to at least Rs 1 lakh an acre, he added.
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