Demand fluctuations, quicker harvests change horticultural cultivation patterns in Karnataka
The Hindu
With agricultural patterns changing, cultivation areas of many horticultural crops in the State have reduced drastically in the last two decades
With agricultural patterns changing, cultivation areas of many horticultural crops in the State have reduced drastically in the last two decades.
According to data provided by the Horticulture Department, the cultivation area of sapota has come down from 20,216 hectares in 2000-01 to 8,441 hectares in 2020-21, while the potato cultivation area has reduced to 28,325 hectares in 2020-21, from 44,684 hectares in 2000-01.
The cultivation areas of other fruits like mosambi, jackfruit, and custard apple (sitaphal) have reduced in the last two decades.
However, the total cultivation area of fruits in Karnataka has increased in the two decades. In 2000-01, fruits were being grown on 2,68,603 hectares while in 2010-11, it increased to 3,63,037 hectares. By 2020-21, the area touched 4,31,667 hectares.
On why the cultivation area of some of the most liked fruits has come down in the recent years, farmers and experts pointed out that farmers are now looking at crops which could immediately give them good yields and money, instead of spending years on a crop without any guarantee about the yield.
“When farmers take their fruits to the market, sometimes the pricing is not good. The export of fruits has also reduced in recent years. The farmers cannot afford to wait for four to five years anymore. That is why the cultivation area of sapota, jackfruit, and such fruits must have come down,” explained Kurubur Shanthakumar, farmers’ leader.
He added that farmers are more inclined towards banana, sugarcane, and arecanut these days, as they can immediately get money. “The harvest comes in one year and there is also good prices in the market,” he said.
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