In despair: A farmer tends to his betel vineyard
KENDRAPADA: Betel farmers, who are already buckling under financial crunch due to poor sales during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, are staring at losses this year too.
Farmers of Kujang and Erasama blocks in Jagatsinghpur district and Mahakalapada and Rajnagar blocks in Kendrapada district have grown betel leaves over 1,500 acres this year.
“We used to supply betel leaves to Mumbai, Surat, New Delhi, Pune and other cities by train. Now we are struggling to do so due to the lockdowns in Maharashtra, Gujarat and New Delhi. We are losing out as it is our peak harvesting season,” said Ashok Sahoo, a betel farmer of Gobindapur village in Jagatsinghpur district.