India: Mahoba’s Desawari variety betel leaf could disappear in three to four years; here is why

Published 2023년 3월 29일

Tridge summary

Betel leaf farmers in Mahoba, India are experiencing severe crop losses due to extreme weather conditions, with the unique Mahoba Desawari Pan variety suffering 80% damage. The sensitive crop, valuable for its fragrance and high price, has seen declining yields and reduced farmer numbers, with 95% less cultivation area compared to 2000. Rising costs of cultivation and falling prices of the product have further diminished profitability. Despite efforts, including obtaining a Geographical Indication tag in 2021 and government schemes like the Paan Protsahan Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, farmers have not found relief. Experts recommend promoting value-added products made from the pan to improve farmers' income and suggest that the demand for oil extracted from the pan could help. Urgent measures are necessary to prevent the extinction of the Desawari variety.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

“I have never faced such monumental crop loss,” says Bijendra Chaurasia, reviewing his betel leaf garden, or bareja, spread over 0.4 hectare (ha). “The heavy dew and cold waves in January destroyed my Rs 10 lakh worth of pan (betel leaves),” says the 29-year-old, looking at the blackened vines entwined around bamboo sticks placed in rows in a greenhouse that resembles a rectangular hut. Betel leaves, along with areca nuts and other assorted condiments, are chewed as mouth fresheners across the Indian subcontinent. Bijendra says his ancestors have grown pan for hundreds of years in Mahoba, a district on the southern border of Uttar Pradesh. “My generation might be the last to cultivate it.” His neighbour Rajkumar Chaurasia says all the 100 families who grow pan in the district have faced crop destruction this year. “The losses are huge as most of us grow the Mahoba Desawari variety, which practically dissolves in the mouth and has a unique fragrance. It fetches double the price ...

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