Tamarind cultivators in the ‘mango barn’ of Karnataka are now a happier lot owing to a bumper harvest and remunerative prices. Growers, particularly in Srinivasapur and Mulbagal taluk, are busy harvesting tamarind and are expecting good returns.
Tamarind is a must in the kitchen. For growers, it is “black gold”. True to its sobriquet, it is bringing in a fortune to growers who persisted with the crop. The good harvest is being attributed to the heavy rain in November last.
It is being grown in about 30,000 hectares in Srinivasapur taluk, which equals the mango cultivating area till a few years ago.
Earlier, growers would plant tamarind trees in between mango trees. They began felling tamarind trees when prices went down. But now, the crop is fetching a good price — Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 a tonne. The growers who felled the trees a few years ago are repenting now.
The good fortune is attracting labourers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh who either clean the pod or cultivate tamarind on leased land.
On an average, male workers get Rs. 400 a day for collecting the fruit while woman workers get between Rs. 250 and Rs. 300 for filling them in gunny bags.
Growers who felled tamarind trees anticipating low demand are repenting after seeing the price it is fetching now
— Muniraju, tamarind cultivator, Vanarashi village
Source : The Hindu
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