JEYPORE: Ginger growers of hilly areas of Laxmipur, Dasmantpur, Lamtatput, Pottangi , Semiliguda, Nandapur, Borigumma areas in Koraput district are shying away from taking up the crop due to the hike in market price of the underground rhizome seed. Unless the government steps in to provide them with subsidised seeds, the farmers said they are not inclined to continue growing it for kharif.
Though ginger is grown on more than 2500 hectares of land in the district, farmers reportedly incur loss in buying the root from open market for cultivation purposes. This year ginger seeds prices touched `300 per kg in some markets of Pottangi and Semiliguda while it was hardly Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg in the past years.
Normally, farmers collect the rhizome seed by May and cultivate during June taking the local weather condition into consideration. However, this year, due to price rise and non-availability of good seeds in local markets, cultivation has been restricted to 20-25 per cent land.
The price hike of ginger is attributed to acute summer condition in the tribal areas due to which the seeds could not be preserved by growers for further production. Even in many places, the ginger meant for seeds was sold in the market creating a shortage.
“We usually cultivate the root during June but this year we did not get good quality ginger locally and those available were highly priced,” rued Ramahari Mali, a ginger cultivator of Nandapur. Discouraged by the problems, the ginger growers are pinning hopes on the government to provide them with quality seeds in subsidised prices for the upcoming kharif season. “Its time the horticulture department identified the ginger cultivators and provided them seeds at the earliest,” said convenor of Koraput Krushak Kalayan Manch, Narendra Pradhan.
Koraput deputy director of horticulture Sudam Charan Biswal admitted there was a problem in the supply of ginger seeds to farmers this year through government agencies. “However, as per norm, we are providing subsidy to farmers purchasing the root seed from their own sources and cultivating it,” he added.