The dearth of summer rains has pushed farmers, especially coffee and black pepper farmers in Wayanad district, a major black pepper and Robusta coffee growing region in the State, to the brink of a crisis
According to the rainfall data available from the Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS) under the Kerala Agriculture University at Amabalavayal, many parts of the district received a rainfall of 29.3 mm in first week of January. Since then no rainfall has been received in the district.
The early showers received in the first week of January had resulted in the blossoming of Robusta coffee plants and the proper fruit set due to adequate sub-soil moisture status, says Anantha Gowda, a coffee planter at Panamaram in the district. But the absence of backup showers, a major factor in the formation of berries, is a concern among farmers, Mr Gowda said.
A majority of farmers in the district are facing similar issues, except big planters who could irrigate their plantations, he added.
Many farmers recently shifted to coffee cultivation from tea owing to the better price ruling over the market for coffee beans. The rise in temperature, due to changes in climatic conditions, caused many newly planted seedlings to wither, K.K. Poulose, a farmer at Chulliyodu on the Kerala-Tamilnadu border who had planted 500 Robusta coffee plants three years ago said.
The condition of the farmers who had resumed black pepper cultivation was not different, as the newly planted saplings could not survive the rise in temperature and lack of rain, P. Saseendran, a farmer at Pulpally said.
The present climatic condition is quite suitable for spread of the sucking pests like mealybug and nematode, Yamini Varma, Associate Director of Research, RARS, Ambalavayal, told The Hindu. It would suck the sap of the roots of the pepper plants and might adversely affect the growth of the plant, Dr. Varma, who is also the dean of the College of Agriculture, Amabalavayal said. The pest infection might also lead to the secondary infection of fungus and bacteria in humid conditions after the summer rain. Hence, the farmers should adopt preventive measures to keep the diseases at bay, she added.
