Untimely rain worries paddy, coffee growers

The cloudy weather and rain have put coffee and paddy farmers to hardship in the taluk.

The paddy growers were already reeling under a crisis following a delay in monsoon, increase in production cost, shortage of labourers, disease infestation and loss of crops, while horticultural crop growers are struggling to save the crops from untimely rainfall.

Paddy is cultivated in Kodlipete, Shanivarasanthe, Somwarpet and Shanthalli. Barring Kushalnagar hobli, coffee and pepper are grown in other hoblis in the taluk.

Now, the paddy is ready for harvesting and coffee berries are being harvested.

The untimely rain has affected the harvest. Paddy is cultivated on 9,000 hectares of land in Somwarpet taluk. Amid the menace of wild elephants and Indian Gaur, paddy has been cultivated at Haraga, Soorlabbi, Kikkaralli, Kumbaragadige, Heggadamane, Mallalli, Kothanalli, Nadnalli and on the foothills of Pushpagiri hilly range.

“We cultivate crops after facing all the inconveniences and hardship. On the one hand, there is a shortage of labourers. With this, it is difficult to bring the harvest home before it starts raining,” said K P Dinesh, a farmer from Aigooru.

It is difficult to dry the berries amid the rain. During the rain, the ripe berries wither and fall on the ground. Owing to the shortage of labourers, many could not clean the weeds in the plantation, said Yathish of Abboorukatte.

Coffee is cultivated on 28,590 hectares in the taluk. Of this, Arabica coffee is cultivated on 22,900 hectares.