Cheeranahalli (Chikkamagaluru district)
Deficient rainfall during the south-west monsoon in 2023 has left areca growers in parts of Malnad region hard and dry. Worried about safeguarding their plantations through summer, many are purchasing water on a daily basis and carrying it using private tankers, as hundreds of borewells have dried up in parts of the region known for its lush green environs and heavy rainfall.
The State government declared both taluks of Chikkamagaluru – Ajjampura and Kadur – as severely drought-hit on September 13 last year, after taking the ground reports. The people in the taluks recall that they are facing a drought of this magnitude for the first time since 2013. With no alternative remedy, the growers are spending huge money to keep the decade-old plantations alive.
Decades-old plantations
Kiran, a former member of Cheeranahalli gram panchayat in Ajjampur taluk, owns about four-and-a-half acres of areca plantations. After the borewells drilled in the plantation dried, he has made arrangements to bring water from two borewells located a few kilometres away from his farm. He has hired three tankers to carry water daily. “Safeguarding the plantation is crucial for us now. If we neglect, we will lose the plantation that we have cultivated for over 30 years,” Mr. Kiran said.
Areca is a major plantation crop in several parts of Malnad districts. With sufficient water, the growers can get up to seven quintals of arecanuts per acre. “Areca growers have to work hard and invest money regularly for years to get the yield from the plantations. During drought, we have to spend lakhs of rupees to lay fresh pipelines and carry water regularly from available sources,” said Praveena, also a grower.
Those people with borewells in good condition are now selling water, with a tanker of water (20,000-litre) costing ₹8,000. “On an average, a farmer will have to spend ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh per acre of areca up to April this year. We are hoping for rain by the end of April. If there are no rains in April and May, we have to spend another two-three lakhs of rupees up till June, the month when monsoons are expected to set in,” said Chetan, an areca grower.
Coconut farms too
Similarly, coconut growers are also facing the heat of drought in the region. The yield has already come down on many farms due to disease that affects coconut leaves. Paramesh of Yagatipura in Kadur taluk said of the 150 coconut trees on his farm, only 40 have survived. “The yield has come down abysmally. I am worried about a further decrease in the yield due to drought. My borewell in the coconut field has dried up,” said a distraught Paramesh. He is now relying on an eatery that he runs along with his wife for his livelihood.
