The price of tender areca nut has reached an all-time high, due to a sharp decline in production caused by various diseases affecting areca nut palms.
The spot price of the tender areca nut touched a record ₹183 a kg at the Meenangadi market in Wayanad on Wednesday, as against ₹133 a kg during the corresponding period last year.
The scanty arrival of the commodity owing to a sharp decline in yield and the huge demand for the produce in the market, especially in Karnataka, was the major reason for the sudden spurt in the price of the crop, market sources said.
If the gap between demand and supply widened in the coming months, the price may increase further, sources said.
The areca nut harvest usually begins by the first week of November and continues till February end.
Areca nut palms have been infected with various diseases such as fruit rot disease or “mahali” , bud rot, and yellow leaf disease owing to the heavy rain that lashed the district this year. So, the areca nut production in the district has dropped sharply, farming sources said.
The production had declined by 70% this season, sources said.
The majority of farmers have axed their palms owing to the dearth of remedies to control the diseases, especially yellow leaf disease and bud rot disease.
However, the news of the price rise has not brought cheer to the farmers in the district owing to the drastic decline in production. Many of the farmers have suffered heavy losses this year due to the diseases affecting the crop and the palm, K.Sadananadan, an areca nut grower at Kottathara, said.
“We are not expecting many benefits from the increase in prices. More than 80% of the crop in my 5-acre plantation was damaged. Though the price has escalated, farmers in the district will not benefit much,” he said.
The tender areca nut is the raw material for making red areca nut which is the major ingredient of paan masalas. The farmers in the district prefer to harvest the areca nut in its tender stage, instead of in its ripened stage as in other parts of the State, mainly to keep the quality of their produce.
