JOIN USA delegation of MPs from Karnataka met Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh here on Wednesday, seeking relief package for coconut and arecanut farmers.
The delegation comprising Dhruva Narayan, D K Suresh, S P Muddahanumegowda, B N Chandrappa, B V Naik and Nalin Kumar Kateel urged the minister to clear the State’s pending memorandum with the Centre seeking release of Rs 893 crore as package to rejuvenate coconut crop hit due to drought in many parts of the State.
In Karnataka, coconut is grown on 4.91 lakh hectare, which yields Rs 528 crore of worth of crop per annum, second highest in the country. However, depletion of groundwater due to drought in many parts of State resulted in withering of 70 per cent of coconut crop.
To revive the crop, the State government has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture seeking funds, which includes replantation and recharging of groundwater.
Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel also submitted a separate memorandum seeking an alternative crop package to arecanut farmers who have been hit due to yellow leaf disease.