Belgaum: Kadoli village, renowned for potato farming, confronts a critical situation as local farmers worry about potential crop damage due to unpredictable weather conditions, prompting them to seek government aid.
Farmers in this area have been grappling with erratic weather patterns, experiencing excessive rainfall one year and severe drought the next. These unpredictable climatic shifts have had a detrimental impact on their livelihoods. The potato seeds, initially sown in anticipation of adequate rainfall, now languish in parched soil, with fertilizers applied but lacking moisture. Consequently, Kadoli’s farmers are disheartened as their potato crops struggle to grow, often reaching no larger than walnuts.
Kadoli, spanning 2,500 acres, allocated 1,500 acres for paddy cultivation, reserving the remaining 1,000 acres for crops such as potatoes, yams, cowpeas, soybeans, and others. Regrettably, the extended absence of rainfall has severely affected nearly all these crops, plunging the farmers into distress.
Compounding their worries, Belagavi taluk has been excluded from the roster of drought-prone taluks, intensifying the farmers’ anxieties about what lies ahead.
Appasaheb Desai, a distressed farmer, expressed his sorrow, stating, “We haven’t witnessed such a drought in the past 15 years. Cultivating 1 acre requires 8 quintals of potato seeds, each priced at Rs. 2,000, leading to an expenditure of around Rs. 40,000, including seeds and fertilizers. With these substantial losses, farmers are disheartened. We urge the district commissioners to personally visit our fields and evaluate the situation. If they can provide compensation of Rs. 50,000 per acre, we would be willing to accept it. Otherwise, we don’t seek their sympathy. Let there be a revolution.”
Suresh Patila, another farmer, conveyed his predicament, stating, “Recovering the expenses we’ve invested this time seems impossible. Crops like rice, potatoes, yams, and cowpeas have suffered extensive damage. Our lives have become exceedingly difficult. If the government provides just compensation, we are ready to receive it. Otherwise, we don’t require sympathy from them.”
