Market Demands & Fast Harvests Shift Horticultural Crop Cultivation Patterns in Karnataka

According to data provided by the Horticulture Department, the cultivation area of sapota has decreased from 20,216 hectares in 2000-01 to 8,441 hectares in 2020-21, while the potato cultivation area has decreased to 28,325 hectares in 2020-21, from 44,684 hectares in 2000-01.

The cultivation areas of other fruits like mosambi, custard apple, and jackfruit have also decreased.

However, in Karnataka, the total cultivation area of fruits has increased in the last two decades. In 2000-01, fruits were being grown on 2,68,603 hectares while in 2010-11, it increased to 3,63,037 hectares. By 2020-21, the area touched 4,31,667 hectares.

Farmers and experts have pointed out that farmers are now looking at crops that could offer them good yields and money instantly, instead of spending years on a crop without any guarantee about the yield. Farmers are now leaning towards sugarcane, banana, and areca nut, as the harvest comes in one year, and there are good prices in the market.

Poor seed quality and disease have been listed as reasons for the reduction in the cultivation area of potatoes in the State. However, with the apical root cutting (ARC) method being popularized and highly researched, farmers will get better yields. The seeds will be of better quality, and farmers will benefit. By 2025, Karnataka aims to be self-sufficient in potato cultivation.

Farmers' leader, Kurubur Shanthakumar, pointed out that the pricing is not good when farmers take their fruits to the market. In recent years, the export of fruits has also decreased. Therefore, farmers cannot afford to wait for four to five years anymore. That's the reason why the cultivation area of sapota, jackfruit, and other such fruits must have fallen.

Experts said that the limited demand for fruits could have resulted in farmers changing their minds about some fruits. For example, sapota is mainly used only for pulp extraction, and there are not many by-products. Thus, its cultivation area might have dropped a little.

However, while the cultivation areas of some fruits have diminished, those of others have increased in accordance with the demand. As it is used for a variety of purposes, the cultivation of grapes has increased, and owing to the new demand, dragon fruit, litchi, and gooseberry are also being cultivated now. When it comes to vegetables, onion, tomato, and capsicum cultivation has been going up uniformly.

While the cultivation areas of some horticultural crops have decreased in Karnataka over the past two decades, the cultivation area of fruits has increased. Farmers are now leaning towards crops that could offer them good yields and money instantly, and with the popularization of new farming methods, such as the ARC method, farmers will benefit from better yields.