Betel farming on proposed Posco land. Telegraph picture

Paradip, May 10: Betel vines growers in the proposed Posco steel project areas have started plucking semi-mature leaves before these are lost for ever.

“The countdown to land acquisition has begun. The betel vines would be pulled down to make way for the mill. We are trying to retrieve the produce. At least it would fetch us some money. The leaves are not ripe yet. But there is no time to wait,” said betel vines growers at Noiliasahi and Polang villages under the Gadakujang gram panchayat.

The Posco land acquisition, halted by the Centre on August 3 last year, is scheduled to resume on May 18 from these coastal villages.

Signs of disillusionment over what they say inadequate compensation package are visible amongst the betel farmers here. Against the permanent loss of their age-old livelihood, the betel growers are still insistent on enhanced ex gratia against acquisition of their plots.

Moreover, demand for viable subsistence package and relief for betel workers is also gaining ground in these areas.

“Before the machine pulls down my betel vines, I have to clear the leaves from the vines. Little more than a week is left for land acquisition. It’s better to pluck it now than do it at the eleventh hour. I have sold the plucked betel leaves at the Kujang market,” said Radheshyam Raul, a betel farmer from Noiliasahi village.

The betel vines are a major income-generating farming activity here because of the conducive soil and climatic condition. “Everything suits us for profit-making betel vines cultivation. Still we are ready to transfer the land for the steel mill. But we should be adequately compensated. We are told that the United Action Committee has taken up our cause and it would hold talk with the administration on May 15. If the compensation award remains the same as it stood last year, we would not cooperate with land acquisition work. We would give up the land under force with protest,” said Nabaghana Samantaray, another betel leaves farmer from Gadakujang area.

“I am cultivating betel on a 20 decimal patch. My annual income runs up to Rs 1 lakh. The company will compensate me with a meagre Rs 2.30 lakh and, in return, it would snatch away a permanent source of income,” said farmer Bhagabat Dalei.

“The amount the company would give us is too low. Betel leaf cultivation here is like a pot of gold. The sum of Rs 11.5 lakh per acre of betel vines should have been doubled to make up for our permanent livelihood loss,” Bhramarabar Pradhan, another betel leaves grower, said.

“Only two workers are entitled for Rs 2,250 monthly subsistence package, while every betel vines accounts for regular source of income to at least 10 to12 labourers. Moreover, the monthly subsistence package is too meagre to feed the family in the wake of price rise. The package was announced a year ago. Prices of essential commodities have almost doubled since then. Workers are entitled for 20 per cent of the sum awarded to the betel plot owner where they had worked. But the amount is paltry and it would come to nothing when the compensation is equally divided amongst the jobless betel field workers,” said Siba Behera, a betel vines labourer from Bayanalakanda village.