Ginger cultivators worried by rot disease

Farmers in the region are worried due to the spread of rot disease in ginger.

There was a good crop of ginger following bountiful rainfall. However, the farmers are now afraid of losing the crops.

As the price for ginger had increased in the market, the farmers in the region stopped paddy cultivation and switched to ginger, to improve their financial condition. But, the outbreak of rot disease has made their calculations go wrong.

The farmers who have availed loans to the tune of lakhs of rupees see a future bleak.

Apart from the old farmers, many youth who returned to their native places after losing jobs due to Covid-19 had taken to farming. Now, these youth are also disappointed as the crop they grew has been spoiled.

Ginger saplings turn yellow in colour and the ginger rots. The disease has affected the crop in the third month. The farmers are clueless on how to save the crops for the next seven months.

Farmer Prakash said that he has incurred a cost of Rs 1.50 lakh towards transplantation of seeds, manure, insecticide and labour. Initially, the crop was good. But, as it rained continuously in the last month, it gave rise to rot disease. Efforts to save the crop has been in vain.

During the last three to four years, the market price of ginger has gone through ups and downs. At some point, the price reached Rs 2,800 per bag of 60 kg but was later reduced to Rs 1,500.

Farmers in the catchment areas of Harangi and Chiklihole have been growing ginger in large quantities. The cultivation of paddy has gone down considerably in this region.

Kushalnagar and surrounding areas have ginger purchase centres from where the produce is transported to the markets in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.