Shivamogga: Functionaries of the BJP Raitha Morcha staged a protest on the premises of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) here on Monday against the drop in arecanut price.

Tending to them, Araga Jnanendra, Tirthahalli MLA, said arecanut cost had declined by more than 25 percent in the past four months. Attributable to the drought in the area over the past four years, there was huge decline in the arecanut yield, causing loss to the farmers. Huge tracts of arecanut estates had dried up in Shikaripur and Sorab taluks. Presently, the fall in the cost had added to the troubles of farmers, he said.

Alluding to the loss incurred by arecanut producers in 2013 and 2014 because of fruit rot disease, locally known as ‘kole roga’, he said that as the region was receiving perpetual rain for the past few days, the arecanut plantation had again become vulnerable for fungal infection.

Owing to the decrease in the price of arecanut, farmers were thinking that its hard to mobilize money to meet the expenses of spraying copper sulfate mixture on the crops to prevent the infection, he said. The protesters raised slogans demanding that the APMC stop the arecanut transaction till the price is recouped.

BJP Raitha Morcha functionaries presented a memorandum at Deputy Commissioner’s office later.