Farmers sensitised against taking up mass cultivation of ginger

With widespread concern expressed over extensive cultivation of water-intensive ginger crop in the border villages of Mysuru district, farmers’ associations have now taken up the task of educating local growers against leasing out their lands for the cultivation of the crop.

Traders from neighbouring Kerala are taking fertile farmlands in the border villages, especially in H.D. Kote, Periyapatna and Hunsur taluks, for lease, luring the local farmers with handsome price.

The farmlands are usually taken for lease for at least three years and thereafter traders go in search of other lands for raising the crop. The trend of contract farming for ginger crop has caught the fancy of local farmers with some of them having leased out their lands to the extent of over 50 acres, according to farmer leaders here.

Besides being a high water-intensive crop, a lot of chemicals are used to raise it and this is feared to weaken the soil productiveness.

Understanding this disturbing trend, the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association recently held an interactive session at H.D. Kote town, where farmers were educated on the impact of ginger cultivation.

Association president Kurubur Shanthkumar told The Hindu that the farmers were being sensitised on the long-term impact of ginger crop on the soil. After growing ginger, soil becomes unsuitable for other crops. If at all other crops are raised, the yield will be significantly less. But farmers are ignoring these aspects, he added.

Mr. Shanthkumar maintained that some farmers are being lured into leasing out their lands to merchants from Kerala whose job is to look for lands in other States and raise the crop for profits.

For an acre of land, farmers are being paid at least Rs. 75,000 a year. This has been an attractive factor. But the long-term impact was severe, including depletion of groundwater.

“The crop required rigorous supply of water to ensure a good yield. Usually, borewells are sunk for raising the crop. By excessive use of water, the groundwater source drains out, resulting in depletion of drinking water source for others,” he said.

Some enterprising farmers belonging to the association, which has been fighting for farmers’ cause despite being a body of sugarcane growers, have resolved to visit other growing areas in Hunsur and Periyapatna taluks and educate local growers and also those leasing out their lands for ginger cultivation. The Mysuru district administration has set up three special teams to discourage local farmers from cultivating ginger on their lands.

Source : The Hindu