Aurangabad: Distressed betel leaf farmers in Maharashtra have demanded crop insurance cover, claiming its cultivation has almost stopped due to significant financial risk.
An official in the agriculture department on Wednesday admitted there was a decline in betel leaf cultivation in Jalna, Aurangabad and other areas, and said its farming does not fall in the category of insurance cover.
He said the betel leaf's dwindling demand in the market and high water requirement for growth were posing hurdles in its cultivation. Till some years back, betel vines were prominently cultivated in Jalna, Aurangabad and Jalgaon.
Several farmers said unlike for other crops such as wheat, paddy and corn, betel leaf growers do not get any compensation in case of a natural calamity.
"The area under betel leaf cultivation has come down significantly as local cultivators have stopped growing it due to non-availability of a crop insurance scheme.
In case of a natural calamity, the grower stands to lose everything," farmer Tulshiram Payghan, from Bharat Budruk village in Jalna district, told PTI.
