Coffee beans wither due to heavy rain

Growers demand compensation

Due to increase in moisture content in the soil, the beans have started withering off. The rot disease and stem borer disease in coffee plants have left the growers in dire straits.

While coffee growers have been shedding tears over the crop loss, their pepper creepers, which were not attacked by any disease so far have developed a peculiar condition of discolouration of the leaves known as ‘Soragu roga’.

With acute shortage of potash in the taluk, the growers have been left clueless regarding the ways to solve the problem.

Grower Ramesh says that plantations have been affected by rot disease because the planters could not spray Bordeaux mixture solution on time.

Most of the planters had grown areca as mixed crop in their coffee plantation.

Unfortunately, heavy rain has carried rot disease to areca trees too, leading to withering of tender areca nuts.

“All our efforts to save the crops have gone in vain,” says Prakash another planter from the region.

He says that Agriculture, Horticulture department, Coffee Board, Spice Board and Revenue Departments should take precautionary measures on time, conduct survey to assess the loss and provide sufficient compensation to the growers.

Areca, Coffee, Cardamom and Pepper has bagged good rate in the market this year, but the unfortunate growers are not in the position to cash the same.

Organic  Farmer    Bhuthanakadu Arvind opines that rot disease can be controlled by spraying necessary medicines on time. However, he says that local experts must be consulted and precautionary measures must be taken at the earliest so that the disease does not affect remaining crops.

With ginger crop in Mudigere being affected by rot disease, the farmers are worried over their future.