A betel vine farm in Ponchuma near Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, June 8: Betel leaf cultivation is running into bad weather and many farmers have switched over to other profession for their livelihood.

Golanthara, Randha, Panchama, Sunadei, Jugudi, Siala, Singabadi, Tankia, Tamana, Chikarada, Sasanapadara, Chelia, Bayali, Mantridi, Sikiri, Hinjilicut, Chikiti and many other places in Ganjam district are famous for betel leaf cultivation. But the betel leaf farmers are no more interested to continue the cultivation.

“The betel leaf cultivation was completely destroyed by the 1999 super cyclone. Now non-availability of bamboo and lack of government support is the main problem for us,” said N. Tarini Sethi a farmer of Kotharsingi in Ganjam. Though the government. officials have had announced to open a bamboo depot at Golanthara to facilitate the betel leaf cultivators, it is yet to be materialised.

The rate of bamboo which was between Rs 150 to Rs 200 for one thousand pieces during 1970 has risen to Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 now. The daily wage rate which was Rs 5 during 1970, has touched Rs 150 now.

But the sale price of betel leaf has become static. During 1980, the rate of a bag containing 19, 200 betel leaves was Rs 6000. But the rate has risen to Rs 5000 during this year, he said.

Surendra Mohapatra of Kotharsingi, a betel leaf cultivator, blamed the bank authorities for the distress situation. “The bank refused to give me loan for betel leaf cultivation. I borrowed money for kewda cultivation from a bank at 8.25 per cent interest. But I diverted the loan amount in betel leaf cultivation. But now the bank authorities are charging 13.25 per cent interest over the loan amount. Banks have totally closed their eyes to the interest of the betel leaf cultivators,” he said.

Ganjam is famous for supplying betel leaves to some parts of the country including Varanasi, Delhi and Mumbai. “Although in some places people have started taking up betel cultivation, the majority of the cultivators are yet to recover from the damage caused by the super cyclone,” said an officer of the state horticulture department.

Betel vines 12 to 15 years old, are said to produce the best quality of leaf. “Since old vines are totally destroyed, we have failed to supply standard leaves,” said another cultivator Bijoy Chandra Malana of Govindpur. “Earlier we were taking 50 paise for each Siba zarda or deluxe pan but now the customer is paying Rs. 2 for the same,” he said.

Advent of gutkha, zarda and masala pouches in market have also taken its toll on betel. Most of the customers are buying gutkha, zarda and masala pouches instead of paan, he said.