A national research centre and board for areca needed: expert

Shivamogga

Prakash Kammaradi, an agri-economist and member of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, has advocated for setting up for a national research centre for areca and a board to look after areca cultivation.

Mr. Kammaradi spoke at a consultative meeting organised by the Malenadu Area Development Board in Shivamogga on Monday (December 22, 2025) in the wake of leaf spot and other diseases affecting the areca crop in the Malnad region.

The leaf spot, a fungal infection, had hit the areca growers of the Malnad region very hard. “The disease has resulted in a crisis, leaving the growers worried about the future of the crop. No remedy offered by the scientists will relieve the growers from the difficult situation. This is the right time to urge the Central Government to set up a national research centre for the crop, as many such centres have been set up for other crops. Besides that, there is a need for a separate board to handle the crop,” he stated.

Mr. Kammaradi appealed to the growers, representatives of cooperative societies and elected representatives, irrespective of political affiliation, to put forward these demands. “The horticulture universities face limitations in taking up comprehensive research on the crop. They hardly have the staff and funds to conduct the research. Hence, as a long-term measure, both the Central and State Governments should consider setting up a research centre and board,” he maintained.

Further, he added that funds for research would not be a problem. The government could impose a cess of ₹100 per quintal of areca and collect ₹100 crore for research activities a year, he suggested.

R.M. Manjunath Gowda, chairman of the Malenadu Area Development Board, who convened the meeting, stated that the leaf-spot disease had brought down the yield significantly. “There are many growers in parts of Agumbe in Tirthahalli, who harvested up to 80 quintals a year but hardly harvested five quintals this year because of the disease. I don’t think either the Centre or the State will come to the growers’ rescue. On the other hand, areca growers are quite lazy; they don’t raise their voices except when the areca prices go down,” he opined.

B. Gangadhar Naik, Professor of Plant Pathology at Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences in Shivamogga, made a presentation on the leaf-spot disease and the research so far done by the university. Mr. Naik, who also heads the university task force on areca, stated that growers could minimise the impact of the disease with comprehensive management and timely intervention.