Movement of elephants hits coffee harvest in Karnataka

As this is the time to harvest coffee beans, the growers and workers have to be in the estates

Frequent movement of wild elephants in parts of Sakleshpur and Alur taluks of Hassan district in Karnataka is not going down well with coffee planters and plantation workers.

As this is the time to harvest coffee beans, the growers and workers have to be in the estates. However, the movement of elephant herds in several areas has forced them to stop picking coffee beans. Many planters are sending workers back without engaging them for the day as they cannot work when pachyderms are around.

Around 80 elephants are roaming in different parts of the two taluks in several groups. They keep moving from one estate to another. The Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), deputed by the Forest Department, are engaged in tracking the herds and informing the local people about their whereabouts to avoid human-elephant conflict. If the elephants are near plantations, the RRTs advise local people to avoid venturing into the estates.

The Forest Department communicates to the public through social media platforms, messaging applications and public announcements. Local people plan their routine as and when they get alerts from the department. However, during the harvest season, it is difficult to avoid visiting the estates.

Many planters have been contacting the Forest Department to depute RRTs to problematic areas and ensure that herds do not enter plantations. On January 27, many planters from Siddapura in Sakleshpur urged the Elephant Task Force to drive the animals to forests so that workers could harvest coffee beans.

Santhosh, a planter in Siddapura, said, “We are getting restless. Seven elephants were spotted in the estate. We cannot work.”

Rohit, another planter, said the planters had to declare a ‘holiday’ for the workers whenever elephants are spotted. “This affect coffee cultivation.”