Suffering great losses, say soya farmers in Belagavi, Dharwad

Soya farmers in Belagavi and Dharwad said they are suffering great losses due to spurious seeds, erratic rainfall and a new wave of pest attacks.

The pest Helicoverpa armigera, also called African earworm or stem borer, has caused extensive damage, said the farmers. Some farmers in Mutawad village near Saundatti in Belagavi district are so upset that they have uprooted their crops.

“We have suffered three blows this year. Initially, the seeds supplied by the agriculture department were of very low quality, and the rainfall was erratic. Now we are hit by the bollworm pest attack. We are not sure if we will recover the cost of harvesting,” said Ravikumar Patil, who removed standing Soya from his farm.

Bhagavantappa Sunagar, a farmer in Saundatti, said, “He had spent around Rs 25,000 per acre in his four-acre field to cultivate soya. For over a decade now, I have preferred this crop. It requires little water and is mostly pest-resistant. But this year, half of my crop has not borne pods. The remaining are affected by pests”.

The officials said that a few farmers in Dharwad district have also complained of the pest attack.

“Soya is among the few remunerative crops in the northern Karnataka region. Farmers spend around ₹20,000 on cultivation on an acre. They get harvests of between 10- 15 quintals of the crop per acre. The present rate is between ₹4,000- ₹4,250 per quintal. Farmers make an average of ₹25,000 per acre. However, this year, due to reduced yields, our earnings will be limited,” said Sidagouda Modagi, Krishik Samaj leader.

Officers say it is not a major issue. “The problem is sporadic. It is not endemic. We are visiting affected villages and training farmers in integrated pest management. We are also conducting workshops for pesticide dealers to sell the proper drugs and to ask farmers to use the proper dosage,” H.D. Kolekar, joint director of agriculture, said.

Of the nearly four lakh hectares of the Soya crop in the state, 45% is cultivated in Bidar and 25% in Belagavi. Dharwad with 10%, Haveri and Kalaburagi with 5%, and Bagalkot with one percent of the crop area for the next districts.

Karnataka is the fourth largest producer of Soyabean in the country. Madhya Pradesh leads with around 55 lakh hectares, followed by Maharashtra with 50 lakh hectares. Rajasthan farmers cultivate soyabean on 11.5 lakh hectares. Gujarat has 2.5 lakh hectares and Telangana has around 2 lakh hectares of the crop, officials said.

A.S. Patil Nadahalli, former MLA and BJP farmers wing president, said he would file a case in the High Court, along with some other farmers.

“We have given several memoranda to the State government seeking action against companies that supplied spurious seeds. But in vain. If this is the quality of seeds provided by the agriculture department under subsidy, they need not supply any seeds. The State government needs to ensure proper power and water supply and remunerative prices. That is all. The Agriculture Department should close its shops where it sells inputs like seeds and fertilisers. The subsidy scheme is only to benefit corporate companies,” Mr. Nadahalli said.

Minister N. Chaluvarayaswami said the State government had received some complaints regarding the crop. “Nearly half of the Soya crop area is in Bidar. But it is unaffected. The problem has been found in around 15 percent of the crop in Belagavi and Dharwad districts. It is being attended to,” the Minister said.

“I have asked senior officers to look into the complaint of spurious seeds. District-wise education programmes are being taken up to create awareness about the pest attack. Deputy Commissioners have been directed to include Soya bean under crop insurance in all affected districts. Joint surveys are being done to estimate crop loss. They will be compensated,” he said.