Pandemic turns orange sour for growers in Kodagu

Fall in prices, lack of transportation facilities to other States hit growers hard

Madikeri: Kodagu Orange is known for its unique aroma and taste and is in great demand not only in Karnataka but also outside the State. Normally, oranges are ready for harvest twice a year — once in the rainy season and another during the winter. 

Compared to oranges harvested during the rainy season, the ones harvested during the winter are in great demand as they taste better. Normally, oranges are grown as an alternative crop in the coffee plantations in the district as it brings an additional income to the growers during the rainy season.

Kodagu orange, which is a brand in itself, has seen a low in terms of production over the years. Even though orange was grown as an alternative crop in coffee plantations of Kodagu, there was a great demand for Kodagu orange, known for its unique taste.

Adding to the problems, the COVID-19 lockdown has left a drastic impact on orange cultivation. There has been a plunge in the demand for the fruit and the vendors too are not opting to sell the local fruit.

In order to give a boost to orange cultivation, the Department of Horticulture has been distributing saplings of oranges to the growers. Orange saplings are grown in the horticultural nursery in Bethu village. Many people have been showing interest in purchasing orange saplings, said the officials, an official of Horticulture Department told UNI.

Over a period of time, the district was left with very few orange cultivators, after a disease hit the crop, which had spread from neighbouring Kerala, in 1999. Until then, oranges were grown in around one lakh hectares in the district and around 1,000 containers of oranges were sold per year. But, due to the disease, the harvest has come down drastically in the last two years.

According to some agriculturists, a dip in the market rate of orange has discouraged growers. Also, the root rot disease and attack of fungi have been negatively affecting the crop along with excessive use of fertilisers and insecticides. 

Even though the citrus greening disease affecting the oranges has been controlled, the orange trees which lack care are affected by yellow leaf disease and eventually wither away. 

This time, the orange cultivators had to face another blow due to COVID-19 pandemic. Growers are not able to transport the fruits owing to restrictions on the inter-State borders. Locally, the demand for orange has come down forcing the growers to sell them at low prices, which would eventually lead to losses. 

Owing to fall in price, many growers have chosen not to harvest the crop from their plantation.

The harvesting of oranges in Kodagu is done by contractors, who enter into an agreement with the growers. Earlier, apart from Kodagu, oranges were in great demand in the neighbouring States like Kerala. 

Also, the Kodagu oranges were in demand from the tourists who visited the district in the past.

Orange was cultivated on 8,000 to 10,000 hectares in Kodagu 25 years ago. Now it has come down to several hundred hectares.

The growers fetched Rs. 30 per kg for oranges which were sold for Rs. 50 to Rs. 90 per kg in the market. But as both inter-State transportation and tourism have been hit, the contractors too, did not show any interest to purchase the oranges from the growers, officials added.