Coimbatore: With drought conditions continuing to prevail in Mettupalayam, banana cultivation has been severely affected.
Coimbatore: With drought conditions continuing to prevail in Mettupalayam, banana cultivation has been severely affected.
Banana Cultivation is the mainstay of Mettupalayam farmers. Various varieties of bananas like Kathali, Poovan, Nendhran and Sevvazhai are cultivated and exported to the neighbouring states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Banana cultivation is done across a thousand acres of farmland, in the outskirts of Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Pallipalayam, Annur, Velliyangadu, and Sirumugai. These areas have been severely affected by the drought that has prevailed in the region for the past one year.
Except for the suburbs in the banks of River Bhavani, other areas mostly use wells and borewell water for banana cultivation. But this year, due to the prevailing drought in the wells and borewells in the region, even the cultivated bananas dried up. Farmers who had invested Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 per acre on banana cultivation are anxious that the south-west monsoon rainfall will be short of expectations.
Meanwhile, farmers have opined that they are not interested in planting bananas afresh again this year since the cultivable land is barren without water. At the same time, farmers who cultivated less quantity of bananas using less water are disappointed by the fall in banana prices. Farmers in the suburbs, therefore have urged the Government to speed up the implementation of projects such as the Athikadavu-Avinashi which will ensure groundwater recharge.