In a strong plea for the agricultural community of coastal Karnataka, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai has raised a critical alarm regarding the flawed distribution of crop insurance compensation to arecanut farmers. The legislator emphasized that farmers who depend entirely on their areca plantations are deeply worried and facing severe financial strain due to these systemic failures.
Discrepancies in Insurance Payouts Cause Distress
Speaking during the assembly session, MLA Ashok Kumar Rai pointed out significant discrepancies in the disbursement of weather-based crop insurance compensation. He stated that these errors must be corrected immediately to ensure funds reach the farmers appropriately. Failure to do so, he warned, would lead to severe difficulties for the arecanut cultivators in the coastal district, who are already under tremendous pressure.
The MLA revealed that he had brought this issue to the fore in a previous session as well. To find a concrete solution, he requested a meeting under the leadership of Speaker UT Khader. This meeting would involve MLAs and MLCs from the coastal region along with the Minister of Horticulture, SS Mallikarjun, to discuss the matter and make appropriate decisions.
Crop Disease and Loan Burdens Compound Crisis
The urgency of the situation is compounded by the recent outbreak of diseases affecting the arecanut crop. Farmers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, for whom areca is a primary livelihood, have suffered substantial losses. Making matters worse, most of these farmers have taken loans based on the anticipated security of crop insurance.
Rai highlighted a grave injustice: while some farmers were approved for insurance, the amounts sanctioned were absurdly low. He has urgently appealed to the government to take corrective measures and ensure the distribution of insurance amounts is fair and reflects the actual losses incurred.
Push for Arecanut as a Horticultural Crop
Beyond immediate compensation, MLA Ashok Kumar Rai championed a longer-term policy change. He demanded that arecanut be included officially as a horticultural crop. He informed the assembly that the central government has rejected Karnataka's request for this inclusion three times in the past, despite already classifying arecanut as a commercial crop.
The MLA insisted that central ministers from Karnataka must proactively work to get areca added to the horticultural crops list. He urged the Union Agriculture Minister to pressure the central government to act on the report submitted by the Karnataka state government. Rai also called upon all elected representatives from the region to unite and bring collective pressure to bear on this crucial issue for the survival of arecanut farming.
