ELURU: Cocoa farmers in the Eluru district are facing severe financial distress following a sharp fall in cocoa prices in recent months. Once regarded as a profitable crop, cocoa cultivation has now become a source of anxiety, with market rates plunging to levels that barely cover production costs.
For years, farmers in several mandals cultivated cocoa as an inter crop alongside coconut and other crops. Encouraged by attractive prices offered earlier by buyers and chocolate manufacturers, many expanded their plantations in hopes of a stable income. However, the sudden decline in prices has left them struggling to recover investments and questioning the viability of continuing cocoa cultivation.
Farmers point out that the cost of cultivation has risen significantly due to higher prices of fertilisers and labour. Despite spending heavily on maintaining plantations, the current market price of cocoa beans is not sufficient to offset expenses, resulting in heavy financial losses.
Adding to their woes, growers are battling crop damage caused by pests, diseases and erratic weather conditions. Unseasonal rains and extreme temperatures have reduced both yield and quality of cocoa beans in several areas. Poor harvests combined with falling prices have pushed many farmers into a precarious situation.
In villages across Eluru and neighbouring districts of West Godavari and Krishna, cocoa farmers depend on the crop as a supplementary source of income alongside coconut plantations. With prices continuing to slide, they fear that cocoa cultivation may no longer be sustainable. Farmers are urging the government to intervene by announcing a minimum support price.