Summer season of discontent in the land of coconuts in Karnataka

A farmer discharging copra at Tiptur in Tumakuru district on April 17, 2024.|Picture Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKASH The dominating dry spell has actually brought severe distress upon coconut farmers in Karnataka, who were currently impacted by the falling rate of copra. They are now nervous about conserving their coconut plantations as water shortage has actually resulted in crop wilting in Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts. While the hold-up in purchase of copra by NAFED has actually currently struck them, the drying up of borewells in big systems has actually required them to buy water to conserve their plantations. The Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress members raised the issues being dealt with of coconut farmers throughout the legislature session in February 2024, it is not spoken of much as an election problem, though copra procurement is linked to the Centre. Postpone and loss “The hold-up in copra procurement has actually triggered loss to us. The severe heat has actually minimized the weight of copra. For about 1,000 coconuts, we would get upwards of 140 kg of copra, which has actually now minimized to 120 kg,” stated Renukaswamy of Muguluru-Mayasandra in Tumakuru district, who had actually brought his fruit and vegetables to a rice mill that has actually been transformed to a copra procurement centre. “Traders and intermediaries was accountable for bungling up the earlier procurement procedure, by signing up a big variety of phony farmers, that caused its cancellation. Rates had actually crashed to less than 7,500 per quintal from about 15,000 a quintal in 2023.” Maheshwaraiah, a farmer in Belgarahalli in Tiptur, stated that though ground water is readily available in some locations, they do not have cash to sink borewells. “We are yet to offer our stock of copra and do not have cash. Some who took loans and sank borewells are dealing with loss as those wells stopped working. Without water, the coconut palm is wilting.” A farmer peeling copra from the shell at Tiptur, in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.|Picture Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKASH After a stopped working procurement effort, the NAFED has actually chosen to obtain 70,000 tonnes of copra from Kar
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