CUTTACK: As cyclone Dana closes in on Odisha, betel farmers of Niali block in Cuttack district are resorting to distress sale of their produce fearing the worst.
Worried farmers have started plucking both matured and immature betel leaves by engaging extra manpower and are selling those at throwaway prices. Sources said the distress sale of betel leaves is being witnessed in Nuagaon, Anlo, Alana, Babaja, Khandeswar, Debera, Gobindapada, Bilasuni, Olansa and many other localities of the block.
“Usually, we sell 1,000 paan leaves for Rs 700 to Rs 800. But now, we are forced sell the same quantity of leaves at Rs 500 to Rs 550. Since betel vines are vulnerable to cyclonic storms, we have no other way but to go for early harvest and sell the produce at a throwaway price as it is better to earn something than to suffer huge loss,” said 40-year-old betel farmer Manas Ranjan Sahoo.
As per practice, before the onset of monsoon, around 7,000 betel farmers of Niali complete the annual renovation work of their betel vines by spending huge amount of money on altering ‘Chhuncha’, ‘Binchana’, ‘Adua’ and ‘Pota’ in March and April. Sources said the farmers had been making a profit for the last three months. However, cyclone Dana is now posing a threat to their betel vines.
Another betel farmer said, “I had set up two betel vines by spending Rs 2 lakh. So far, I have earned Rs 80,000 by selling paan leaves. If the cyclone strikes, the vines will be ravaged. So it is better to sell my produce to traders at the local haat as the harvested betel leaves are highly perishable.”
Niali’s betel leaves have a special identity both in and outside Odisha due to their quality. Paan traders from different regions of the state purchase betel leaves from Niali farmers. A lion’s share of the betel leaves are also supplied to Kolkata and Mumbai markets where the demand is high. Around 70 per cent of farmers in Niali block depend on betel farming.