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The rapid expansion of arecanut crop to non-traditional areas is a challenge for the sector, according to SR Satishchandra, president of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the cooperative in Mangaluru, he said arecanut, which is traditionally grown in coastal Karnataka and some Malnad districts of the State, is now being expanded to dryland areas of the State. He said farmers in those areas have taken up cultivation of arecanut on 50-100 acres of land.
Terming it as a challenge for the arecanut sector, Satishchandra said the farmers should look at integrated farming practices rather than the expansion of arecanut crop. He urged farmers to take up the cultivation of crops such as cocoa, rambutan, oil palm and pepper as part of integrated farming practices.
Weather impact
On the impact of recent weather patterns on the arecanut crop, Satishchandra said the recent rainfall had affected the crop in various locations. Stating that there was no adequate rainfall during the first two months of the monsoon, he said some regions got excess rainfall after that. To control the spread of diseases in arecanut plants following the heavy rainfall in such regions, farmers have taken up multiple rounds of fungicide spraying.
However, the situation is entirely different in the non-traditional dryland belts to where arecanut cultivation is being expanded. Farmers in those regions are worried that lack of rainfall is affecting arecanut plants. There is a vast difference in weather patterns in arecanut-growing regions. This has also posed a challenge to the arecanut sector, he said.
Areca procurement
Stating that the efforts and initiatives of Campco from time to time have helped stabilise the arecanut market at various junctures, Satishchandra said the cooperative’s procurement from farmers stood at an all-time high of 57,209 tonnes in 2018-19. Campco procured around 6,000 tonnes more arecanut than in 2017-18, he said.
The current price rules at around ₹270 a kg for new stocks of white arecanut, at around ₹300 a kg for old stocks of white arecanut, and around ₹330-350 a kg for red variety, he added.
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