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The spread of fruit rot disease in arecanut plantations during monsoon this year will lead to a shortfall of around two lakh tonnes in production.
This will lead to a loss of around Rs 2,000 crore to farmers, according to Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, K. Padmanabha, Campco President, said that the major arecanut growing states such as Karnataka and Kerala produce around 3.75 lakh tonnes of arecanut every year.
Arecanut crop has been affected by fruit rot disease in these two States. On an average, farmers have suffered a crop loss of around 60-70 per cent in these two States. This will lead to a production loss of around two lakh tonnes next year. (The new stocks of white arecanut arrive in the market during February-March.)
Plantations in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts in Karnataka; and in Kasaragod, Kannur, Mallapuram, Thrissur, and Kozhikode districts in Kerala have been affected by fruit rot disease, he said.
Campco has estimated the loss to farmers due to fruit rot disease in plantations at Rs 1,200 crore in Karnataka, and at Rs 800 crore in Kerala.
Padmanabha said that a delegation of arecanut cooperatives from Karnataka met the Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, in Bangalore on September 6.
The Chief Minister has been informed about the plight of farmers because of the fruit rot disease in arecanut plantations. He has promised to look into the problems in this regard.
The Chief Minister has been requested to lead a delegation to the Centre seeking adequate compensation to farmers, he said.
Soon the arecanut cooperatives will also meet the Kerala Chief Minister, seeking his Government’s assistance to the plantations affected by fruit rot disease in Kerala, he added.
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