Farmers interest fall as cash crops fail to give high returns

P K Krishnakumar & Madhvi Sally, ET Bureau Oct 17, 2012, 10!2"M #ST
KO$%# & "%ME'"B"'( Once trum)eted as hi*hly )r+,ita-le cr+)s, vanilla, sa,,r+n, .atr+)ha and sa,ed musli seem t+ have ,ailed t+ live u) t+
their )r+mise Enc+ura*ed -y the hi*h )rices, many ,armers had started the cultivati+n +, these cr+)s +n a lar*e scale +nly t+ *et their ,in*ers
-urnt "s hi*h )rices turned +ut t+ -e an +ne/+,, a,,air, ,armers have -e*un t+ l+se interest
"uth+rities c+ncerned have als+ n+t taken care t+ educate the ,armers )r+)erly %avin* -ec+me 0iser the hard 0ay, ,armers have n+0 turned
their attenti+n t+ th+se cr+)s 0hich *ive a sta-le inc+me +n a c+nsistent -asis Th+u*h vanilla ,armin* is n+t ne0, the cr+) attracted ,armers a-+ut
ten years a*+ 0hen )rices skyr+cketed t+ 1s 2,300 )er k* tri**ered -y a sh+rta*e in Mada*ascar , the )rinci)al )r+ducer +, the s)ice But
Mada*ascar re*ained )r+ducti+n the very ne4t year and l+cal )rices started dr+))in* and are n+0 h+verin* ar+und 1s 50 )er k* Pr+ducti+n,
c+ncentrated in the s+uthern states, has ,ell ,r+m +ver 1,200 t+nne t+ -el+0 100 t+nne
6#n the last ,e0 years, ,armers have shi,ted t+ ru--er 0hich )r+vides a sta-le inc+me " ,un*al disease als+ dama*ed a )art +, cr+) M+re+ver, in
the a-sence +, a *+vernment su-sidy, cultivati+n +, natural vanilla is n+t c+mmercially ,easi-le as there is a hu*e )rice di,,erence -et0een the
natural and synthetic varieties,6 said M $ Sa.u, 0h+ used t+ -e a leadin* ,armer +, the s)ice 7anilla #ndia Pr+ducer $+m)any , ,+rmed -y vanilla
,armers, -+u*ht vanilla st+ck held -y ,armers s+me years t+ shield them ,r+m )lummetin* )rices #ce cream c+m)anies such as "mul sustained
the demand ,+r natural vanilla ,+r s+me time But they c+uld n+t c+ntinue in the a-sence +, a su-sidy 8+0, synthetic e4tracts are chea)er than
the natural stu,, Sa,,r+n ,armers9 0+es are similar "head +, the harvestin* seas+n 0hich -e*ins -y the end +, Oct+-er, "-dul Ma.id :ani, a
mar*inal ,armer havin* 2 acres in Shar villa*e +, Pam)+re in Kahmir, is h+)in* t+ *et remunerative )rices this seas+n
6Prices crash every yer as #ran9s su))lies t+ the c+untry increases,6 he says des)+ndently $urrently, the m++n*ra variety is ,etchin* 1s 130 )er
*ram 0hereas the lachha variety is -ein* ;u+ted at 1s <3 )er *ram The )rices have crashed -y +ver 50= in the )ast ,ive years #ran sa,,r+n )rices
are ar+und 1s 7,000 )er k* 6#, the situati+n remains like this, 0e 0ill have t+ )lant a))le trees +n +ur land,6 says >M Pam)+ri, )resident +, the
Kashmiri Sa,,r+n ?armers and >r+0ers "ss+ciati+n " rise in the la-+ur c+st @1s !00 )er day n+0A and )++r yields are a -i* challen*e Sa,,r+n
cultivati+n in Kashmir has declined ,r+m 3,707 hectare in 1<<5 t+ 2,713 hectare in 200</10
The )r+ductivity has declined ,r+m 212 k* )er hectare in 1<<B/<< t+ ar+und 2 t+ 23 k* in the last ,e0 years Since 2000, )u-lic and )rivate
c+m)anies such as Cain #rri*ati+n , #ndian Oil $+r)+rati+n @#O$A, 1eliance, 1uchi, O8>$ , '1 Oil ?uels, 8andan Bi+chem, Missi+n Bi+ ?uel
and Emami have made a -eeline t+ .atr+)ha, a *++d s+urce +, -i+ diesel, )redicted t+ )r+vide a s+luti+n t+ ,uel sh+rta*e The idea 0as t+
su-stitute 10/20 = +, c+untry9s diesel re;uirement 0ith the -i+ ,uel *radually #nvest+rs and ,armers r+de the 0ave investin* in seeds -e,+re a
)++r marketin* )+licy led t+ a -i* crash in )rices State *+vernments 0+rked +n )lans ,+r )lantati+n +, the sturdy cr+) +n ,all+0 land, )anchayat
land, ,arm -unds and 0asteland )r+misin* returns t+ the l+cal c+mmunity