Giant African snail brews trouble for Karnataka coffee growers

The infestation of giant African snail in the key coffee-growing areas of Coorg, Chikmagalur and Hassan has triggered concerns among coffee and pepper growers in the region, where the pest has surfaced over an estimated 1,500 acres this year.

Though the infestation may not directly impact the coffee output this year, growers said the management of the pest has led to higher cultivation costs, impacting their earnings at a time when the prices of both coffee and pepper have hit a downward trend in recent months.

The Central Coffee Research Institute, which had done a survey of the infested region, estimates the infected area at around 1,500 acres. “The pest had initially surfaced in North Coorg two years ago. It has now spread to even some estates in Hassan and Chikmagalur districts this year,” said Y Raghuramulu, Director, CCRI. The African snail that surfaces only during the rainy season is not just creating nuisance to the coffee growers but is also affecting other crops such as pepper in the region, said Raghuramulu. The tender plants of coffee, pepper vines and papaya, among others, have been damaged by the pests in the regions.

Admitting that the giant African snail has been wreaking havoc in Kodagu over the past one month, Karnataka Horticulture Commissioner, Prabash Chandra Ray, said that his department would be collaborating with the Coffee Board in dealing with the menace.

“The infested area has been rising every year over the past three years since the pest has surfaced in the region,” said Pradeep, a coffee grower in Ballarahalli, near Shanivarsanthe, the main infested region.

Since the African snail is a nocturnal pest, the management of the insect has become a big challenge, Pradeep said, adding that growers are being forced to spend on chemicals such as metaldehyde to kill the snails and bury them in the soil. “We expect our cultivation costs to go up by ₹10,000-15,000 per acre, as we have to spend not only on the chemicals but also on the additional labour. We have already spent ₹2 lakh in dealing with this pest so far, this year,” said Pradeep, who is a medium-sized grower with about 40 acres.

Further, the pest is affecting the replanting of coffee plants and pepper vines. “We are unable to establish pepper because of this pest,” he adds.

Growers are also being adviced to use the bait made using a mixture of larvin, rice bran, castor oil and jaggery to kill the pest. Pradeep also said the measures taken by an individual grower in his estate is not enough to tackle the menace, as the pest could re-surface again from the neighbouring estates or fields or forest areas. “There is a need for collective fight against the pest and the government should come to the rescue of the growers,” he added.

Karnataka accounts for about two thirds of India’s coffee output estimated at around 3-lakh tonnes.

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