GADAG: Betel farming has come as a saviour for Gadag’s farmers who have been reeling under spells of drought. Some farmers from Gogeri village in Gadag reaped a rich harvest by cultivating betel leaves, earning up to Rs 10 lakh a year.
Mallikarjun Bosale, a farmer, had been growing jowar and other crops earlier until his crops were hit by excess rainfall and then drought.
Betel leaf farming emerged as an option when about 10 farmers from Gogeri met Horticulture Department and Gram Panchayat officials. The department gave them betel leaf saplings under the MGNREGA scheme. These farmers then registered their names in the action plan and started growing betel leaves at their farms. They also got daily wages.
Gram Panchayats have increased the number of man days under the MGNREGA scheme to stop villagers from migrating to cities for work as well as ensured higher daily wages during the prevailing drought situation. Both the agriculture and horticulture departments have also come forward to help daily wage labourers and farmers by increasing the number of man days under MGNREGA.
Bosale is one of the farmers who received betel saplings and followed the instructions of the officials. The harvest fetched him a good income. This time, many parts of the state, including the entire Gadag district, are reeling under drought and many farmers have lost both Rabi and Kharif crops. Bosale, who got his name registered with the department, started growing betel leaves at his farm and earned a yearly income of Rs 10 lakh. Encouraged by his success, many farmers are now visiting betel farms in Gogeri village.
Shanta Bosale, another farmer from Gogeri, earned Rs 80,000-90,000 per month by growing betel leaves. Shanta said, “Earlier, I used to grow groundnuts, jowar and other crops. Our officials told us to shift to betel farming. Now we cut the leaves once a week and sell it to wholesalers. It has proved to be a good alternative source of income for us. We are also telling other farmers to shift to betel cultivation along with other crops to have a steady income.”