Tender arecanuts have fallen down in massive numbers resulting from fruit rot illness on accunt of incessant heavy rains in an areca plantation in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A survey performed by the All-India Arecanut Growers’ Affiliation has proven that the outbreak of fruit rot illness in arecanut plantations has broken greater than 50 per cent of the present crop within the arecanut-growing areas in Karnataka.
Arecanut manufacturing in Karnataka stood at 10.32 lakh tonnes from an space of 6.77 lakh hectares throughout 2023-24. India’s arecanut manufacturing throughout 2023-24 stood at 14.11 lakh tonnes from an space of 9.4 lakh ha.
Mahesh Puchhappady, President of the affiliation, mentioned farmers from arecanut-growing districts resembling Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Chikmagaluru, Davanagere, Tumakuru and Kodagu participated on this survey.
Almost 95 per cent of the farmers who participated on this survey mentioned that their plantations have been affected by fruit rot illness, they usually have suffered crop loss to the tune of round 50 per cent due to this illness. About 84 per cent of farmers couldn’t take up fungicide spraying actions of their plantations resulting from heavy rainfall, he mentioned.
Even those that sprayed fungicide reported round 30 per cent crop loss of their plantations. Amongst these farmers, 47 per cent had been profitable in spraying fungicide just one time. Almost 40 per cent of those farmers sprayed it twice throughout this season.
Causes, Traits of Fruit rot
Rotting and heavy shedding of immature nuts are the key traits of fruit rot illness in arecanut plantations. Steady heavy rainfall with intermittent sunshine, low temperatures and excessive humidity are a number of the components that result in the unfold of fruit rot illness.
Scientists advocate spraying 1 per cent of Bordeaux combination on the arecanut inflorescences to manage this illness. Bordeaux, which is a fungicide, is a combination of copper sulphate and calcium oxide in water.
Puchhappady urged the federal government to launch compensation to these affected by crop loss. Steps also needs to be taken to launch funds below the crop insurance coverage scheme, he mentioned.
Lately, the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Advertising and marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd had requested the Karnataka authorities to declare compensation to the arecanut growers affected by fruit rot illness of their plantations within the state.
A Kishore Kumar Kodgi, Campco President, had acknowledged that arecanut-growing districts resembling Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, and Chikkamagaluru witnessed monsoon rainfall properly above the seasonal common this 12 months. The persistent rainfall triggered a widespread outbreak of fruit rot illness this 12 months regardless of farmers spraying fungicides a number of instances. He had additionally estimated the crop loss at round 50 per cent this 12 months.
A latest reply by the federal government in Rajya Sabha mentioned that Karnataka constitutes 73 per cent of whole arecanut manufacturing and 71 per cent of whole space below arecanut within the nation.
Printed on August 21, 2025