Drought damages Karnataka’s chilli and turmeric crops
A joint drought assessment by Karnataka’s Horticulture, Revenue and Disaster Management authorities has recorded extensive losses among spice growers. Chilli losses cover 12,603 hectares valued at ₹19,629 lakh, while turmeric losses affect 13,446 hectares valued at ₹18,824 lakh, with further damage expected as more taluks are assessed.
Drought has caused extensive damage to spice crops in Karnataka, with chilli and turmeric among the worst affected, according to a joint assessment by the State Department of Horticulture, the Revenue Department and the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority. The survey was conducted in 124 taluks initially identified by the State government for drought assessment. A senior Horticulture Department official said another 53 taluks had since been added to the drought-hit list, meaning reported losses in chilli, turmeric, garlic and ginger could rise.
Chilli losses were recorded across 12,603 hectares and valued at ₹19,629 lakh. The crop, including red, green and Byadagi varieties, had a target area of 1,20,000.03 hectares and a sown area of 99,986.57 hectares. Dharwad recorded the highest chilli loss, with 4,611 hectares affected out of 12,291.96 hectares sown.
Bagalkot reported damage to 4,093 hectares from 6,334.39 hectares under cultivation. Gadag, Ballari, Haveri, Yadgir and Kalaburagi also recorded losses. Byadagi chilli is grown in several northern Karnataka districts, including Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Ballari, Bagalkot, Yadgir and Raichur.
Mallesh Hanjigi, a chilli trader at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee in Gadag, said prices had remained at an all-time high for the past two years. Turmeric losses covered 13,446 hectares and were valued at ₹18,824 lakh. Chamarajanagar accounted for 13,218 hectares of the damage, followed by Bagalkot with 205 hectares and Vijayapura with 23 hectares.
The department said the combined target and sown area for turmeric, ginger, coriander and ajwain was 45,541.08 hectares and 42,806 hectares respectively. It estimated that 18,000 to 20,000 hectares were devoted to turmeric. Garlic losses covered 1,800 hectares in Chamarajanagar and Haveri, while ginger losses covered 593 hectares in Haveri.
Chamarajanagar alone accounted for 1,775 hectares of garlic damage from 1,801 hectares sown.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.