Haveri
In the district, the farmers who believed in the nut crop are sitting with their hands on their heads. Nut plantations have dried up due to the severe drought that hit last year. Bore wells are empty. Farmers of Haveri and Ranebennur taluks are in distress without getting government subsidy.
Farmers have always wanted to grow arecanut crop. Especially after seeing the nut plantations in Western Ghats including Shirasi and Banavasi, they had a desire to grow arecanut in their district as well. Especially after the price of arecanut were a peak, the farmers planted nut trees and started farming. Many people were successful in this attempt. They planted in a garden and started getting yield after six years. The area of nut plantations which was 8,000 hectares had reached 14,000 hectares within three years.
The state government has given money to the farmers of Hirekerur, Shiggaon, Savanur, Badagi and Hanagal taluks of the district under MGNREGA scheme which comes under the Malenadu Development Corporation. But nut farmers of Ranebennur taluk did not get subsidy because of plains. Despite this, the number of nut growers in the taluk has not decreased. On the availability of bore well water, they planted 600-700 nut trees per acre in his land and dreamed of a bountiful harvest this year.
But, the drought came and the gardens dried up, bore wells are empty. In the beginning, irrigation was done with the help of bore wells of the farmers of neighboring lands. Now there is no water in the wells of the farmers who are giving water. So, they are struggling to save their nut crop.
