BETEL

PIPER BETLE

Due to their unique aromatic flavor and tender taste, betel leaves from Dhinkia gram panchayat of Jagatsinghpur district are a favorite among paan-eaters across the country.

“Many in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and other cities like the betel leaf of Dhinkia area because of its extra large size, pungency and thick stalk. These unique qualities are not found in other betel leaf varieties in the country,” said Brunaban Das, a betel vine farmer of Dhinkia, who has been growing the vines for the last three decades.

But the fate of at least 5,000 betel leaf cultivators of Gobindapur, Patana, Dhinkia and other villages in Jagatasinghpur district now hangs in balance due to the presence of a large number of armed police in Gobindapur since the past two months.

The tender leaves need to be dispatched to marketplaces within two days after being plucked. But due to the tension created by police presence in the villages, millions of betel leaves are rotting in the houses of farmers as buyers are scared to come to these parts to procure the crop. “Many betel leaf cultivators of Dhinkia areas are spending sleepless nights after incurring heavy losses,” said Bijaya Jena, a betel leaf farmer of Gobindapur.

“Seven lakh betel leaves are rotting in my storehouse. I have suffered a financial loss of Rs 50,000 as I am unable to dispatch them. Altogether about 25 lakh betel leaves are rotting in the houses of farmers in Dhinkia. Non-availability of cold-storage facilities are adding to the woes of cultivators,” said Ajit Swain, a farmer in Dhinkia.

“Farmers of these areas used to sell paan worth Rs 20 to 30 lakh every month. But since the last two months nobody comes to our village to purchase paan,” said Prafulla Jena of Gobindapur.

For the past eight years, betel leaf cultivators of Dhinkia gram panchayat have been resisting South Korean steel giant Posco’s plan to acquire over 4,000 acres of land in the district for an integrated steel and power plant. “The betel leaves from our areas are considered the best in the world. But the authority is hell bent on destroying our betel vines for industrialization,” said Amarbar Swain, a farmer of Dhinkia.

“The district administration is planning to acquire my three acre betel vine fields in Gobindapur to establish the steel plant by Posco. I hoped to earn at least Rs 60,000 by supplying betel leaves to Mumbai one last time before my lands are taken away, but the presence of armed police here is making it impossible for me to sell my crop,” said Shatrughan Jena of Gobindapur.