Arecanut farmers hit hard in peak harvest season

KALPETTA: In the agriculture sector in Kerala, the demonetisation drive has affected areca farmers and the tender areca nut merchants of Wayanad the most. It was announced during the peak harvest time. There is confusion in the market as the inflow of money for the sold out produce is not clear. The farmers are not ready to receive cheques or old notes. Many of the merchants have shut shop as they are not sure about the inflow of money from buyers. The tender areca nut processing centres in  Wayanad, a seasonal affair which mushroom during the harvest season and vanish after, are in a dilemma. Majority areca nuts produced in the district go for the processing centres.

Janeesh Payikkatt, a trader at Vakeri near Sulthan Bathery told this newspaper that he seldom opens the shop and even if opened he rarely sit there as farmers would start approaching to sell the crop. “I used to collect three tons of peeled areca nut and sell to the processing centres,” he said. "Demonetisation was a bolt from the blue for us as most of us have our money with the farmers as advance for the product and with the processors as credit for the purchased stuff,” he added.   

“The buyers are ready to give old currency, but the farmers are not ready to take it,” he said, adding that there is no immediate hope in the vicinity. But there is a demand for the stuff in the market. Many of the seasonal processing centres which operate during the six months long harvest season and windup after the harvest also are on the edge of closure. The farmers also were hit by the economic reconstruction as the price of areca came  down soon after the demonetisation and now there are no takers for the crop. A farmer of  Mullankolli MP Anirudhan told this newspaper that the price of areca was on an upward  trend before the announcement of demonetisation. "But now there are no buyers for the nut while there is a demand for the stuff in the market", he added.