A large number of betel plantations, locally known as 'panerbaroj', are attacked with pata pocha rog (a disease that causes rotting of leaves), especially in Gournadi, Uzirpur and Agoiljhara upazilas under Barisal district.

Farmers in the area, known for extensive betel cultivation, are worried due to the situation.

"Dense fog, cold spell, less sunlight and high moisture cause rapid spread of the disease in the plantations," said Sukumar Das, a betel planter in Uzirpur.

Selim Shikder, Poresh Das, Krishan Natta, Shyamol Das and Tulu Boiddha, betel leaf planters of different areas in the district also expressed the same view.

“A fungus type virus consisting 'sclerotium' of the soil causes the disease and it spreads in the betel plantations mainly in damp weather,” said Dr Md Enamul Hague, an agricul-ture expert of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

“Dry weather with hot sunlight and sufficient flow of air is needed to combat the disease. Betel leaf planters should spray 1.5 or 2 gram VITAVEX or PROVEX-200 medicine mixed with one litre water on the betel plant on a katha of land,” he said.

A source in the DAE Barisal zonal office said farmers of400 villages out of 1,137 villages of the district used to cultivate betel even a few years ago.

During this correspondent's recent visit to different betel leaf plantations in Uzirpur, Gournadi and Agoiljhara upazilas, farmers said that about 50 per cent of more than 25,000 betel cultivators in the three upazilas have already left the

cultivation during the last decade.

The reasons behind the farmers' apathy to the betel cultivation include unfavourable weather, pest attack, shortage of capital, dearth of seeds and absence of proper preservation and marketing.

Sources said, DAE fixed a target to produce 2,000 tonnes of betel leaf per year but they failed to achieve it.

Average cost for produc-

tion of betel leaf per hectare of land is Tk 3 lakh while the yield is about five tonnes, several planters said, adding that if everything goes well, one can earn a profit of over Tk one lakh from per hectare.

Although betel plantation is generally profitable, most of the planters failed to earn profit due to widespread pest and virus attack during the last decade, they said.