Mangalore : ZP President Asha Thimmappa Gowda said that ZP members and officers team from horticulture department and CPCRI will visit the areca plantations and study the condition of areca plants after it has been affected by fruit rot disease.

Speaking after chairing the general body meeting of the zilla panchayat on Sep 1, Monday she said that, the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has decided to study the condition of areca growers in the district and submit a detailed report on it and demand the quality testing of Biofit / Biofot products used by the areca growers for areca plantation.

She also said that further this report will be submitted to the State government and urged to find the due measures and find a permanent solution to eradicate fruit-rot disease.

Aisha said that the decision of submitting the report was taken by the ZP members, who are also areca growers and how they were cheated by the manufacturers of Biofot and Biofit products.

One of the member Chenappa Kotian said that last year areca plants were affected with the disease after three months of spraying Biofit but this time within one and half of months of spraying it the plantation has been affected. The manufacturers of the product has shown it as an organic solution to the fruit-rot disease, but has not gained permission from the authority to sell the product. Hence such product must be banned.

Yogish, Deputy Director of Horticulture Department that the products were sent to Faridabad for laboratory testing and they reported that Biofit and Biofot has not contained any content of 116 notified insecticides in India. According to the manufacturing company, the product was an organic based medicine, but the department suspects the use of Potassium phosphate in the product. The company also failed to provide bills to the farmers who purchased it. The department had already advised the areca growers not to use the product as it is not certified, he added.

ZP CEO Tulasi Maddineni said that the product testing in the laboratory has proved the absence of any notified insecticides in it, hence it cannot be banned.
She also said that the horticulture department DD too cannot take action against the manufacturers as the product is claimed to be organic.

MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, suggested areca growers to approach the consumer court if they have any issues with the manufacturers or sellers.