KOZHIKODE: Strained relations between India and Pakistan have come as a bolt from the blue for a group of farmers at Tirur in Malappuram district.
Known as ‘Tirur Lanka Paan’, betel leaves from Tirur are of great demand in Pakistan. With diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan touching a new low, tension has been mounting among betel farmers here, for their livelihood depends solely on export orders from Pakistan. Around 60 per cent of the betel leaves, cultivated in Tirur municipality and surrounding panchayats of Valavannur, Kalpakanchery, Thalakkad, Athavanad, Ponmundam, Tanalur, Ozhur and Tirunavaya, are exported to Karachi and Lahore, from where they reach local ‘paan mandis’ across Pakistan. The Pathankot attack had a devastating impact on the farmers here as betel leaf exports plummeted by 40 per cent.
“With the diplomatic relations turning worse, Pakistan has slapped an additional 15 pc tax on betel leaves from India. This has affected exports from here,” said Mohammed Mooppan, a betel grower in Tirur. India’s surgical strike on terror launchpads in Pakistan has compounded the woes of the farmers. According to betel leaves traders in Tirur, the exports have dropped to 3 tonnes a day from 5 tonnes a day. “Lack of air and rail connectivity between the two countries is another hurdle,” said Kamaludheen U an exporter at Pan Bazar, the exclusive betel market here.
Betel leaves from the hundred-year-old ‘Pan Bazar’ in Tirur are taken to Dubai through Calicut International Airport, from where they are flown to Pakistan. “We are dependant on Dubai as the air and rail connectivity to Pakistan was snapped post Mumbai terror attacks in 2002. This leads to additional expense on transportation,” rued Kamaludheen. Betel leaves from Tirur are of high demand in Pakistan due to its distinctive flavour. They are in great demand at wedding parties, gatherings and religious functions in Pakistan. Tirur betel leaves have market in north Indian cities.Around 2-3 tonnes of betel leaves are sent to New Delhi by train, from where they are taken to local markets in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Only half a tonne is sold in the local market.
Accord ing to Mohammed Mooppan, the consumption in Kerala goes up only during the festival season. When transportation to Pakistan was smooth and no tax was imposed, a pack of 100 betel leaves used to fetch `100 for the traders. But now the price has come down to `60. Abdulla Thallassery, another farmer, said several farmers have stopped growing betel in recent years due to drop in demand.
“Many farmers have migrated to other crops as there has been a steep decline in demand for Tirur betel leaves due to countinued tension between India and Pakistan,” he added. Less tham 1,000 farmers are involved in betel cultivation in Tirur taluk now. Pan Bazar also shares a similar story of waning glory as it has lost more than 30 shops and hundreds of employees in the last 15 years. “It is tough time for betel farmers in Tirur as they can’t survive on the domestic market.
There is a steady decline in consumption of betel leaves among Keralites as betel is perceived as injurious to health,” said Prof CR Elsy, member of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) cell at the Kerala Agricultural University. According to Elsy, market value of betel leaves could increase if they are used for medicinal and cosmetic needs. “Betel juice is used by Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala to prepare certain medicines. We should promote more research in this field to explore its medicinal value,” she said.