CH NEWS, MANGALURU
The All India Areca Nut Growers Association (AIA) has welcomed the state government’s decision to hold a special cabinet meeting in Mangaluru on September 18 and has urged the government to take several important decisions, including interest-free crop loans of up to Rs 5 lakh, loan waiver and the announcement of ‘Areca Nut Bio-Economy Mission-2035’, in the interest of distressed areca nut growers.
Areca nut farming, which is the backbone of the rural economy of the coastal and Malnad regions, is today facing problems due to disease, market uncertainty, restrictions on tobacco/gutkha and rising production costs. In this context, it is imperative to formulate a long-term policy for comprehensive value addition and scientific alternative use of areca nut, rather than relying solely on the raw market price, the Association’s President Mahesh Puchchappady and General Secretary CG Venkatagirish have urged in a joint statement.
The Rs 5 lakh interest-free crop loan announced by the government is still limited to Rs 3 lakh in many cooperative societies. They have demanded that immediate action be taken to ensure that all eligible areca farmers get the full Rs 5 lakh loan without discrimination.
Farmers have suffered severe losses due to leaf spot disease and yellow leaf disease that has spread to more than 10 villages, including Sampaje. Therefore, they have demanded that the central and state governments should jointly waive off crop loans once and waive off the interest on long-term agricultural loans at the interest rate of 3 percent.
Kovi is essential to protect crops from wild animals, and the license renewal issue should be resolved. He also demanded that the concerns over the implementation of the Kasturi Rangan report, which has been keeping farmers in the foothills of the Malnad region, be resolved by taking a clear decision in the cabinet meeting.
The association has put forward innovative proposals to create scientific and industrial value for every part of areca.