Since organic farmers here do not use chemical fertilisers and fungicides, the fungal attack has hit them hard.

Though the quantity of organic vegetables produced is not huge, it caters to the need of those who strictly consume such vegetables.

Vegetables affected by the fungal attack include bitter gourd, beans and similar vegetables.

Vegetable that grow on creepers are mainly affected by the disease. The first indication of the crop getting the infection is the leaves turning yellow in colour.

Later the entire plant turns yellow and withers away. The farmers, who had cultivated the crops with the hope of making good profit during Vishu, are now a demoralised lot.

They have not even recovered the money they had invested in the farming. Though the Agriculture Department is not able to specify the reason behind the attack, the farmers feel that the climate change could be responsible for it.