MP seeks study to recommend treatment packages to control diseases in arecanut plantations
Member of Parliament Brijesh Chowta has requested a scientific study to address diseases affecting arecanut plantations in Karnataka. He is also calling for a revision of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture guidelines to better support farmers.
Why it matters
This initiative aims to protect the livelihoods of small-scale farmers by improving agricultural disease management and government support frameworks.
Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Captain Brijesh Chowta has urged Union Government to commission a time-bound and scientific cost-and-treatment study to recommend treatment packages to control diseases hitting arecanut plantations in Karnataka.
He also urged the government to revise the guidelines of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
Speaking under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha on July 20, Capt. Chowta said that arecanut growers in the coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka are facing recurring leaf spot disease (LSD), yellow leaf disease (YLD) and fruit rot disease requiring scientific diagnosis, plant protection measures, nutrient correction, proper drainage system in plantations, surveillance and in severely affected gardens, and replantation.
The study sought should be led by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in co-ordination with the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development, he said.
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