NEWS: Karnataka's spice belt (chilli, turmeric, garlic, ginger) has suffered major crop losses due to worsening drought+ A joint drought survey was conducted by the Karnataka State Department of Horticulture (KSDH), Revenue Department, and Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).

SURVEY & TALUK EXPANSION

• Initial Scope -> 124 taluks initially flagged for drought assessment.
• Extended Scope -> 53 more taluks added, raising concerns that overall losses will increase.

CROP-WISE LOSS BREAKDOWN

Chilli (Red/Byadagi & Green)

• Target Area -> 1,20,000.03 hectares + Sown Area -> 99,986.57 hectares.
• Total Loss -> 12,603 hectares (valued at Rs 19,629 lakh).
• Hardest Hit -> Dharwad (4,611 hectares lost) + Bagalkot (4,093 hectares lost), followed by Gadag, Ballari, Yadgir, and Kalaburagi.

Turmeric

• Total Loss -> 13,446 hectares (valued at Rs 18,824 lakh).
• Hardest Hit -> Chamarajanagar (1,775 hectares lost out of 1,801 hectares sown) + Bagalkot + Vijayapura.

Garlic & Ginger

• Garlic -> Total loss of 1,800 hectares (valued at Rs 2,894 lakh), mainly in Chamarajanagar and Haveri.
• Ginger -> Recorded significant losses, including 593 hectares lost in Haveri district alone (valued at Rs 1,305 lakh).

MARKET IMPACT

Prices for key varieties like Byadagi chilli have stayed at or near all-time highs over the past two years due to production disruptions