Worried Over Rise In Yellow Leaf Disease, Farmers In Dakshina Kannada Keen To Grow Coffee As Inter-Crop In Arecanut Plantations – CoffeeTalk
Concerned over leaf spot and yellow leaf diseases in arecanut, some farmers in Dakshina Kannada have expressed interest in cultivating coffee as an inter-crop in arecanut plantations. A team of officials from the Indian Coffee Board and Horticulture Department visited four coffee growing plantations to assess the feasibility of recommending coffee cultivation in areas on the foothills of the Western Ghats and on the coastal belt. They also took soil samples and coffee beans for analysis. The officials may visit the district again before deciding whether Dakshina Kannada can be brought under the Board for coffee cultivation. Chandrashekara Taltaje, who has been cultivating Robusta coffee as an inter-crop for over a decade, said he did not find any problems with marketing the produce. The team offered to arrange for training and guidance to farmers on coffee cultivation, pruning, and harvesting at Chettalli in Kodagu district. Jayarama Mundolimoole, a director of Sullia Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd., said the FPC is keen to start a nursery under the Board’s guidance to arrange for coffee saplings. A WhatsApp group of Dakshina Kannada coffee growers has been formed for consultations and taking the initiative forward.
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Source: Coffee Talk