Karwar: Farmers in Shirasi in Uttara Kannada district, are feeling disheartened as they struggle to find reasonable market prices for their high-quality ginger, which has suffered due to excessive rainfall and disease.

In the Shirasi and Mundagod regions, more than 250 hectares are dedicated to ginger cultivation. Approximately 50% of the crop has been lost due to overabundant rainfall and root rot disease. Although farmers managed to preserve some crops with the use of additional pesticides and fertilizers, the current situation is dire, and prices have plummeted

“Compared to last year, the price per quintal of ginger has dropped by`7,000. This year, fresh ginger is fetching only`2,000 per quintal, which doesn’t even cover the cost of the fertilizers we’ve used,” lamented the farmers.

“The price of ginger seed is around`3,000 for a 60 kg bag, and we need at least 25 bags per acre. The cost of planting ginger per acre is`75,000. Additionally, we need to install a drip irrigation system in the field. Spraying pesticides once a month costs about`5,000, and we require 25 to 30 laborers for weeding, with each worker costing around`350. The cost of weeding alone amounts to`10,000. The final yield is expected to be half of what it should be. In such a scenario, if we receive such low prices, we won’t even recover the capital invested,” expressed a collective concern among the farmers.

“Odisha is a major cultivator of ginger, and the lower grade ginger is priced between`1,800 and`2,300 per quintal, reaching markets in the state and northern India. This trend drives down the price for quality ginger from our region, leading to significant financial losses for our farmers,” added trader Basavaraj Gowda. According to officials from the horticulture department, “Previously, the area under ginger cultivation was limited, but it has doubled in the last two years due to increased production, which might be causing the price drop.”

While there is always demand for ginger from our region in the Mumbai and Delhi markets, middlemen are bringing in Odisha ginger, which depresses the prices of local ginger, complained farmer Santhosh Naik.

Many farmers, who had taken land on lease from rice farmers to cultivate ginger, are now struggling with the price decline.

They have not managed to recuperate the investment made on ginger cultivation while paying the landowners. Market experts believe that “even a slight increase in prices will not bring them back tothe levels of last year.”