ALAPPUZHA: Organic farming might still be in a nascent stage in Kuttanad, but a few

farmers here are trying to prove that there may be a lot more to this kind of cultivation than just paddy.

Two farmers, Joseph Korah and Sivan, who with the help of the Kuttanad

Vikasana Samithy tried organic farming as per the rotational crop system of `One Paddy, one Fish/Fresh Water Prawn,' are now claiming success.

The paddy produced from their two `padasekharams' has got organic certification from INDOCERT, an organic certification agency as per the National Programme for Organic Production.

The Samithy, which had been experimenting in this line of agriculture since

1999 with the technical support of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the Agency for Development of Aquaculture in Kerala (ADAK), purchased 22 quintals of certified organic paddy from the two farmers at the rate of Rs.1,200 per quintal while the Government procurement price is Rs.850.

The farmers will be helped to export the organic rice to Europe through a popular export company in Kerala, according to Samithy executive director Fr. Thomas Peelianickal.

"We are also holding discussions with the MPEDA to get organic certification for fresh water prawn so that the farmers will get double the price," he said.

"Korah produced about 2,500 kg of fresh water prawn from four hectare of paddy field in six months. The total price he got was Rs.5 lakh," Fr. Peelianickal said.

The rotational farming was tried in paddy fields where only paddy was cultivated annually and the fields were left fallow for the rest of the period.

"The input expenses in paddy farming are reduced, rice is converted into organic rice and additional income for farmers as well as agricultural

labourers is assured from the fish/fresh water prawn," he added.

"The residues from fish culture make the soil richer and the residues of paddy such as paddy stubs and other organic wastes become food for the fish. There is a significant saving in fertilizer cost too in rice culture when preceded by fish," Fr. Peelianickal said.

"The fish controls pests and diseases and hence there is no need of pesticides. While continuous mono-cropping leads to decline in soil microbial biomass and fertility, fish integration helped to improve and retain high bacterial load and improved soil fertility," the farmers said.

"The mutualism of paddy and fish helped to increase the paddy yield by 15 per cent. The net income from paddy could increase by Rs.10,000 per hectare and there are additional labour opportunities of 45 man days per hectare which is more than a single crop of paddy," Fr. Peelianickal says.

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