Bagalkot, June 27: While the monsoon has given up and the shadow of drought has covered the proud pomegranate crop of Bagalkot, which is exported to the country and abroad, is facing the threat of a terrible disease called ‘Bacterial Blight’. The district’s food producers, who had worked hard to grow pomegranates through irrigation despite the severe drought, have now been hit by the disease, and farmers are distraught to see the crop being destroyed before their eyes.
More than 10 thousand acres destroyed
The situation is particularly serious in Kaladagi and the surrounding villages of Bagalkot taluk, which is world famous for its pomegranate crop. Pomegranate is grown in an area of about 6 thousand acres in Kaladagi alone, of which more than 4 thousand acres of orchards have already succumbed to the disease. Out of the total 15,000 acres of pomegranate area, including the neighboring villages, more than 10,000 acres of orchards have been completely damaged by this epidemic disease.
Farmers have spent at least 4 to 5 lakh rupees per acre on pomegranate crop. However, in the wake of this rapidly spreading disease, the amount they have received is not enough to feed their families and they are suffering losses of lakhs of rupees. Since this is an epidemic disease, farmers are faced with the unfortunate situation of having to cut the diseased fruits, throw them out of the orchard and burn them.
Outrage against scientists
The sad thing is that Bagalkot district has a prestigious University of Horticultural Sciences (UHS Bagalkot). Although this university has hundreds of agricultural and horticultural scientists, farmers have expressed their anger that no suitable and permanent cure is being found for this ovarian disease that has been plaguing pomegranate growers for many years.
The farmers, who are in tears after seeing their orchards drying up before their eyes, have strongly urged the Horticulture Department and the government to immediately visit the spot, conduct a damage survey and provide appropriate compensation, and that scientists should quickly research a medicine that will provide a permanent solution to the disease.
Pomegranate disease is a very fast-spreading infectious disease. Experts said that burning the affected fruit or plant parts immediately, without leaving them intact, can prevent the disease from spreading to neighboring orchards to a large extent.