The prevailing drought has brought acute distress upon coconut farmers in Karnataka, who were already affected by the falling price of copra. They are now anxious about saving their coconut plantations as water scarcity has led to crop wilting in Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts.
While the delay in purchase of copra by NAFED has already hit them, the drying up of borewells in large tracts has forced them to purchase water to save their plantations. Though the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress members raised the problems being faced of coconut farmers during the legislature session in February 2024, it is not spoken of much as an election issue, though copra procurement is connected to the Centre.
