Jasmine Farmers in Hemmady Village are Distressed owing to Termite Menace

By Snehalatha, Udupi
Bellevision Media Network

Kundapur,30 Jan 2013: The jasmine farming that is being undertaken on hundreds of acres of land since centuries in Hemmady village, near here has gotten a bumper rates this year.  However, the jasmine farmers who have been into farming are in distress owing to termite menace that eats away the jasmine plants.  The farmers are now facing a situation, when the time to reap the profits, the termites have eaten their livelihood.

How Shankarapura jasmine is famous in Udupi district, the jasmine grown in Hemmady village in Kundapur taluk also.  Although its small in size, it has strong fragrance.  The crop comes for harvest for 20 – 25 days ahead of winter season.  It grows bountiful in saline-earth, which sustains hundreds of families.

One-thousand jasmines fetch Rs 70 – 80 this year that is highest since the past many years.  If there has been a bumper crop, the jasmine farmers would have gotten huge profits.

 

The termite menace has been affecting jasmine farming since the past 2 years.  The termite eats away the leaves and the plants turns yellow, dies slowly in a few days.  The acres of jasmine farms are withered, while the farmer has lost his initial capital.
A jasmine farmer needs nearly Rs 30 – 35,000 to undertake farming in 25 cents of plot, which will cover overheads on labour, manure, insecticides and other charges.   However, it is owing to termite menace during this year, the farmer has lost all his investment.

The termite menace affected a few jasmine farms in Hemmady village in the past 2 years that has affected over 400 – 500 acres, threatening the livelihood of 300 – 350 farmers in the entire village.  The agriculture scientists advised to sprinkle a specified disinfectant without any success to curb the menace.

The jasmine farmer Sheena Devadiga said that whenever he sprinkles the disinfectant, the termite menace is controlled for a day but recur soon.  The farmers had written letter to Plantation department to advice a solution in this regard.  The department officials have not come to their farms to study the situation so far, which has dampened the spirit of mass jasmine farmers.
The plantation department had to come up from slumber in advising a solution, besides try to get compensation from state administration for crop loss.  Otherwise, the jasmine farming that sustained several families since centuries will go extinct.
 
 
 
Water pond and vented dam exists in Hemmady but no water:

 
The jasmine farmers face lack of irrigation facilities.  Jasmine farmer Babu Devadiga said, ‘Hemmady gram panchayat restored a water pond owned by village council, but the stones laid inside to form a circle collapsed inside the water pond, and lies in disuse.  A vented dam was constructed spending a few lac of rupees across a rivulet four-year ago, but the village council has not bothered to erect the planks that holds the water at the onset of winter season.  Its owing to this water has not flowing to catchment areas near jasmine farms.   The peoples’ representatives arrive in the village only during polls who offer assurances to solve irrigation issue and not bothered later.