THOOTHUKUDI: The recent spell of rain which resulted in the overflowing of the Thamirabarani, has wiped out betel vineyards in various villages around Authoor, impacting 10,000 farmers, farmhands, and traders, and bringing betel leaf exports to a grinding halt. Authoor betel leaves bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag (as Authoor vetrilai) and take one year from cultivation to export, say leading farmers.
Betel vines sprawl across 1,000 acres along the tail end areas of Thamirabarani, Authoor, Umarikadu, Sethukuvaithan, Eral, Korkai, Valavallan, Athiyapuram, Sernthapoomangalam, and Rajapathy. Authoor vetrilai is known for its strong aroma and has a good market across cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
As a result of the deluge, floodwater got accumulated in the vines for more than four days, leading to the decaying of creepers and the Agathi trees, which support the creepers. Except for 10 acres at Sernthapoomangalam village, all other vines have been destroyed, said farmers. "The existing vines (partly decayed) could not be pruned since the betel creeper is sensitive to climate and water conditions. The plant shows variations in relation to water stagnation. Now, the crop will have to be cultivated again," says Murugesan of Eral.
Betel vines are grown on rows called 'kanni', with each row separated by a pit of water. The two most popular varieties, pachaikodi and karpoori, take two-and-a-half years to grow. Since these creepers grow around Agathi trees, farmers have to first sow Agathi seeds, and betel leaves can be planted only 40 days after Agathi seeds germinate so that both can grow together," says Vembu, another betel farmer.
Murugesan, who is also in the business, explained that although Agathi trees remain undamaged in many vines, new creepers would not grow since the tall trees hinder penetration of sunlight. Developing an acre of betel vine, consisting of 100 kanni, requires Rs 1.5 lakh, he said, adding, "We have no money to cultivate again and we have lost our source of livelihood," he says.
The farmers have now approached their counterparts in Sholavandan and Karur, to purchase betel creepers. "The soil in Authoor is suitable for creepers from these areas," said Vijayagopi, adding that the vines went unaffected in the 1992 floods. The flash floods of December 18 added to the farmers' ordeal. The farmers have appealed to the state government to provide betel creepers and Agathi seeds at a subsidised rate to help the betel farmers cultivate again.