MP Kuldeep Sharma, MLA Raminder Awla new AICC secretaries for Karnataka party affairs
New Delhi, Oct 11: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday appointed MP Kuldeep Rai Sharma and Punjab MLA Raminder Singh Awla as new AICC secretaries for the party affairs in Karnataka.
The two AICC secretaries will be attached to the party general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, the party said in an official statement.
Sharma is the Congress MP from Andaman and Nicobar while Awla is the MLA from the Jalalabad assembly seat in Punjab.
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Banana farmers in Karnataka struggle with crop damage due to extreme cold
Bengaluru: Banana farmers in Karnataka are grappling with crop damage as extreme cold weather this winter threatens their harvests.
Horticulture officials stated that over 25 percent of the banana crop, particularly those at the early growing stages, would be affected as temperature dipped below 12°C, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
Farmers are concerned that the ongoing cold snap could lead to long-term consequences, including a reduction in exports. Wholesale merchants have noted that the severe cold has caused banana fruits to discolour, resulting in lower market quality and a slump in export demand.
Karnataka, the third-largest banana producer in India after Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, yielded 29.73 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24, DH mentioned. The state's banana-growing areas include Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Mysuru, and Hassan, as well as Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, and other parts of North Karnataka, where irrigation facilities support production.
“I have grown Cavendish bananas on three acres by investing Rs 4.5 lakh. I have lost a part of the crops due to heavy rainfall in August last year. Now, I am finding it difficult to get returns on my investment due to foggy and cold conditions,” Gulappa Mahadevaswamy from Dodda Katuru village in Mysuru taluk, was quoted as saying by DH.
Banana exporter Alisab Choudhari explained that cold temperatures are causing significant market rejection of the fruit, as the bananas are turning reddish and losing its quality. A farmer Shankar Myakeri from Afzalpur taluk said that around 40 percent of the crop on his 10-acre farmland would likely be damaged due to extreme cold.
Santosh Inamdar, Deputy Director of the Kalaburagi Horticulture Department, stated that approximately 4,000 hectares of banana crops in the district were more susceptible to severe cold, especially where the soil lacks zinc and boron. He advised farmers to use these micronutrients to help mitigate the damage and encourage better growth.
In light of the growing concerns, farmers have called on the government to purchase bananas at a support price to ease the financial burden. They have also demanded that a separate board be established to protect the interests of banana growers.
Meanwhile, K.B. Dundi, Additional Director of the Horticulture Department (Fruits), reassured that while damage to banana crops during winter is common, the situation is usually temporary. “It is a matter of two weeks for them to recover once summer starts,” he added.
