Pepper, one of the important commercial crops of the district, is supporting farmers in a big way.
Chowrira Chomuni Bopaiah of Hodavada near here said, “We have 800 pepper vines in our coffee plantation. This year, we are hopeful of getting 25 quintals of harvest.”
Bopaiah, 75, owns a four-and-a-half acres of coffee plantation. The pepper vines planted in his estate are yielding good crops. Two years agp, 19 quintals of pepper was harvested, he added.
Chowrira Sharath, 28, is a government employee and he is also into agriculture. Bopaiah, the senior of Chowrira family, has been guiding him. All members of the family, Chowrira Somanna, Ayyappa, B Nanaiah, Muddappa, M Chengappa, Colonal Ganapathy and others are into agriculture.
They have around 10 acres of land each and all have been successful in pepper cultivation.
During summer, pepper needs a lot of water. Water from the nearby lake is pumped and supplied to the farm. Along with this, they provide organic manure.
Bordo solution is sprinkled on the vines to prevent diseases. The vines are grow on areca, cocunut and other trees. The vines affected by diseases are removed and new ones are planted, he added.
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