Farmers suffers a loss of over Rs 250 crores on Arecanut

Mangalore, Sep 04 (UNI) The arecanut growers in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have suffered a loss of over Rs 250 crores due to unprecedented disease caused to Arecanut farms, the president of the South Kanara District Central Cooperative (SKDCC) bank Mr M N Rajendrakumar informed here today.

Speaking to newsmen Mr Rajendrakumar informed that the farmers of two districts were in distress condition due to heavy loss suffered following unprecedented fungus disease erupted in the arecanut farms in two districts.

Mr Rajendrakumar said that the disease was so rampant that over 70 per cent crop in two districts was destroyed rendering the farmers to push into serious economic crisis.

While announcing that a farmers convention was convened on October 2 discuss the serious issue of arecanut crop loss Mr Rajendrakumar informed that both state and union governments would be appealed to announce compensation package to the affected growers.

He said that in Udupi district a total of 7200 tonnes of arecanut was destroyed due to the disease incurring a financial loss of over Rs 54.84 crores while the growers in Dakshina Kannada lost 25066 tonnes of crop worth over Rs 194.85 crores. Mr Rajendrakumar informed that the district-cooperative central bank would take a lead in appraising both the state and union governments on the seriousness of the problem and the need of coming to the rescue of the growers.

Mr Rajendrakumar also informed that the central bank has distributed over Rs 204.68 crores to the arecanut farmers in the district an increase of Rs 24.40 crores than the previous year.

He said that under the farmer's loan waiver scheme the farmers have been benefited with the waiver of loans of Rs. 105.48 crore in two districts however the bank was able to get only Rs 20.05 crores from the state government.

UNI