Worried over rise in yellow leaf disease, farmers in Dakshina Kannada keen to grow coffee as inter-crop in arecanut plantations

Worried over increasing leaf spot and yellow leaf diseases in arecanut, some farmers in Dakshina Kannada have now evinced interest to cultivate coffee as an inter-crop in arecanut plantations.

Worried over increasing leaf spot and yellow leaf diseases in arecanut, some farmers in Dakshina Kannada have now evinced interest to cultivate coffee as an inter-crop in arecanut plantations.

If a few farmers are already cultivating and harvesting coffee as an inter-crop in arecanut plantations, some others have now joined a consultation process and are positive on taking up coffee cultivation as an alternative to arecanut.

A team of officials from the Indian Coffee Board with Horticulture Department officials visited four coffee growing plantations, two near Sullia and the two near Puttur, on October 8 and October 9, respectively, to assess whether the Board can recommend cultivating coffee in areas on the foothills of the Western Ghats and on the coastal belt. They also took soil samples and some coffee beans with them for analysis. The officials might visit the district again before deciding whether Dakshina Kannada can be brought under the Board for cultivating coffee.

Chandrashekara Taltaje, who has been cultivating Robusta variety of coffee as an inter-crop in Uppinangady for over a decade, told The Hindu that he did not find any problem for marketing the produce. The team also visited his farm.

Mr. Taltaje said that the team members offered to arrange for training and guidance to farmers on coffee cultivation, pruning, and harvesting at Chettalli in Kodagu district.

Jayarama Mundolimoole, a director of Sullia Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd., said the FPC is keen to start a nursery under the guidance of the Board to arrange for coffee saplings. He said that a WhatsApp group of Dakshina Kannada coffee growers has been formed for consultations and taking the initiative forward. The group has over 200 members.

“We are now planning to visit the coffee research sub-station of the board at Chettalli soon,” Mr. Mundolimoole said. He said that the team also visited the arecanut farm of Baile Rukmayya Das near Sampaje. His farm has about 600 coffee plants.