Titli badly hits coconut plantations in Uddanam

Srikakulam: Coconut plantations are worst affected due to Titli cyclone in Uddanam area in Srikakulam district. In all seven Uddanam mandals, farmers are growing up east-coast tall variety coconut plants which are prone to cyclones often.

Due to Titli cyclone, a huge number of coconut trees were damaged and unlike other crops and plants, coconut tree requires at least 10 years period for its yields. As per horticulture experts’ calculations, in one-acre extent of land, farmers are cultivating 80 coconut trees and each coconut tree will produce 72 nuts yearly. A farmer can get 5,670 nuts in one-acre land a year.

Each coconut costs Rs 15 and total worth of the yield is Rs 86,400 for one acre. It means a farmer will loss Rs 8,64,000 worth yield in one acre for ten years due to cyclone. In addition to loss of yield, farmers have to invest money for another ten years to grow plants which imposes heavy burden on them.

Unlike other crops and trees, coconut requires more period and farmers have to wait at least ten years for yield by investing money. “We lost all our coconut trees in our 28 acres of land,” said Badagala Adilaxmi and her husband Badagala Ramana Murthy, the coconut farmers of Baruva village in Sompeta mandal.

“I lost coconut trees in all my ten acres land and another ten years required to get yield,” said Prakash Babu Panigrahi of Gollagandi village in Sompeta mandal. A five acres land owner of the same village N Bhaskar Rao also explained same pathetic story regarding coconut loss.

“Uddanam needs a separate package for its revival and government should provide assistance,” demanded Human Rights Forum state vice-president K V Jagannadha Rao, members, Dr Y Krishna Murthy and B Dhilli Rao.