 "UP betel growers to thank Rahul for boosting their nuts")
A 11-member delegation led by Rashtriya Pan Kisan Union General Secretary Chhotelal Chaurasiya would call on Gandhi.
On December 10, 2011, Gandhi had visited betel vineyards in Lucknow and assured growers to espouse their cause.
Under the Yojana, betel farming is likely to get a major boost and increase in acreage and would insulate farmers against losses.
During 2013-14, the betel farmers have been allocated Rs 4.5 crore under RKVY. This, together with the grant of Rs 1 crore by the state government, is expected to benefit about 650 farmers.
During 2012-13 also, the Akhilesh Yadav government had released Rs 1 crore for disbursal in 21 districts, which benefitted about 125 farmers.
This year, an intense cold wave during January had destroyed betel vines in UP with the loss pegged at Rs 100 crore. Last year too, the crop was destroyed due to cold causing loss of about Rs 70 crore to cultivators.
Intense cold and dew wreck havoc on betel vines and leaves, which dry up. This also affects the prospects of good harvest in the following season since vines are planted for fresh crop.
Betel vineyards are spread across Unnao, Rae Bareli, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Jaunpur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Banda, Azamgarh, Hardoi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Amethi, Allahabad, Sitapur, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra districts. Over the years, the acreage has dwindled from 6,000 acres to 1,000 acres in UP.
Betel farming is prevalent in UP, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.