Drought scorches Karnataka’s spice belt; chilli, turmeric worst hit

Farmers growing spice crops such as turmeric, chilli (red and green, including the Byadagi variety), garlic and ginger have suffered major crop losses due to drought.According to a drought survey conducted jointly last month by the Karnataka State Department of Horticulture (KSDH), the Revenue Department and the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), farmers growing chilli and turmeric have suffered significant crop losses, with Bagalkot and Chamarajanagar topping the list, respectively.Similarly, crop losses have been recorded among garlic growers in Chamarajanagar and ginger growers in various taluks of Haveri district.Chilli crop lossDistrictsLoss (hectares)Dharwad4,611Bagalkot4,093Vijayapura116Haveri128Chitradurga258Koppal228Chikkamagaluru701Vijayanagara297Gadag666Kalaburagi163Ballari740Raichur506Yadgir77Bidar17Total12,603Value (in lakhs)₹19,629A senior official from the Horticulture Department said, “This survey was conducted in 124 taluks initially identified by the State government for drought assessment. Now, another 53 taluks have been added to the drought-hit list. Crop losses with regard to spices, including chilli, turmeric, garlic and ginger, are likely to increase.”As per details shared by the department, the target area for chilli, including green and red varieties, was 1,20,000.03 hectares, while the sown area was 99,986.57 hectares.The official added, “Chilli, especially the red or Byadagi variety, is grown in Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Ballari, Bagalkot, Yadgir and Raichur districts. During the drought survey, the total crop loss recorded for chilli was 12,603 hectares, valued at ₹19,629 lakh. The highest loss was recorded in Dharwad, where 4,611 hectares were affected out of a total sown area of 12,291.96 hectares. Bagalkot recorded 4,093 hectares of chilli crop loss out of 6,334.39 hectares under cultivation. Other districts, including Gadag, Ballari, Haveri, Yadgir and Kalaburagi, also recorded crop losses, though lower than those in Dharwad and Bagalkot.”Mallesh Hanjigi, a chilli trader at the APMC in Gadag, a hub for the sale and purchase of Byadagi chilli, pointed out that chilli prices have remained at an all-time high over the past two years.Turmeric crop lossDistrictsLoss (hectares)Bagalkot205Chamarajanagar13,218Vijayapura23Total13,446Value (in lakhs)₹18,824Garlic crop lossDistrictsLoss (hectares)Chamarajanagar1,775Haveri25Total1,800Value (in lakhs)₹18,824Ginger crop lossDistrictsLoss (hectares)Haveri593Total593Value₹1,,305In addition to chilli, turmeric is another major crop hit by drought in Karnataka. Chamarajanagar, known for turmeric cultivation, currently tops the crop-loss list. The official said, “The target and sown area for turmeric, ginger, coriander and ajwain are 45,541.08 hectares and 42,806 hectares, respectively. Of this, at least 18,000-20,000 hectares are dedicated to turmeric cultivation. The total crop loss recorded for turmeric is 13,446 hectares, valued at ₹18,824 lakh. Chamarajanagar alone accounts for 13,218 hectares of crop loss, followed by Bagalkot with 205 hectares and Vijayapura with 23 hectares.”Further, data from the Horticulture Department showed that garlic crop loss of 1,800 hectares has been recorded in Chamarajanagar and Haveri. Chamarajanagar alone accounted for 1,775 hectares of loss out of a total sown area of 1,801 hectares, against a target area of 2,000 hectares. Similarly, ginger crop loss covering 593 hectares was recorded in Haveri district.