Coimbatore: The arecanut palm popularly known as betel nut or Supari is cultivated in 2000 acres of land in Kallar, located at the foothills of Ooty. India is the largest producer and consumer of arecanut and Tamil Nadu contributes a notable volume of arecanut next to Karnataka, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal.
Coimbatore: The arecanut palm popularly known as betel nut or Supari is cultivated in 2000 acres of land in Kallar, located at the foothills of Ooty. India is the largest producer and consumer of arecanut and Tamil Nadu contributes a notable volume of arecanut next to Karnataka, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal.
Kallar and Arecanut
For ages, arecanut have been cultivated in Kallar region due to the conducive temperature ranging between 14ºC and 32ºC. Extremes of temperature and wide diurnal variations are not conducive for the healthy growth of the palms.
As the palms that produce Arecanut cannot withstand drought for a long time, Kallar is best suited for the cultivation, as the region is close to water bodies including Bhavani river. Being a perennial crop, once affected by water stress, it may require two-three years to regain the normal vigour and yield, the palm requires 200 lit per palm/irrigation.
However, over the past three years scarcity in rainfall affected the harvest of the nut causing severe losses to the farmers. As the number of harvests will vary from three to five in one year depending upon the season and place of cultivation, the more than average rainfall in the region have made the farmers rejoice.
Labour extensive
The farmers also note that "In recent years, labour scarcity has emerged as one of the foremost challenges in Areca palm farming. As the Areca nut trees attain a height of about 60-70 feet, labour have to be been deployed for climbing during harvest involving laborious physical exertion. Hence, it is becoming to source labour during harvest".
During manual harvesting, the labourers, after climbing one tree, harvest bunches from the adjoining four to six trees using a long bamboo pole with an attached hook. The nuts that fall during cutting the Areca nut bunches will be collected by women labourers.
Following good yield, the farmers of Kallar region have expressed respite and urged the forest department to chase away elephants and wild boars which damage the palm before harvest.
Kallar and Arecanut
For ages, arecanut have been cultivated in Kallar region due to the conducive temperature ranging between 14ºC and 32ºC. Extremes of temperature and wide diurnal variations are not conducive for the healthy growth of the palms.
As the palms that produce Arecanut cannot withstand drought for a long time, Kallar is best suited for the cultivation, as the region is close to water bodies including Bhavani river. Being a perennial crop, once affected by water stress, it may require two-three years to regain the normal vigour and yield, the palm requires 200 lit per palm/irrigation.
However, over the past three years scarcity in rainfall affected the harvest of the nut causing severe losses to the farmers. As the number of harvests will vary from three to five in one year depending upon the season and place of cultivation, the more than average rainfall in the region have made the farmers rejoice.
Labour extensive
The farmers also note that "In recent years, labour scarcity has emerged as one of the foremost challenges in Areca palm farming. As the Areca nut trees attain a height of about 60-70 feet, labour have to be been deployed for climbing during harvest involving laborious physical exertion. Hence, it is becoming to source labour during harvest".
During manual harvesting, the labourers, after climbing one tree, harvest bunches from the adjoining four to six trees using a long bamboo pole with an attached hook. The nuts that fall during cutting the Areca nut bunches will be collected by women labourers.
Following good yield, the farmers of Kallar region have expressed respite and urged the forest department to chase away elephants and wild boars which damage the palm before harvest.