Kerala - Alappuzha   

Kuttanad facing a grim harvest

BLEAK PROSPECTS: A scene from a paddy field near Nedumudi in Alappuzha as the harvest of the additional crop began here this week.

ALAPPUZHA: Disappointment and anxiety are two emotions running high in the paddy fields of the Alappuzha belt of Kuttanad as harvest of the second round of cultivation for the year started in a few paddy pockets here.

With 5,623 hectares of crop out of the total cultivated area of 9,118 hectares being damaged in the recent floods and rains, farmers were waiting to see the fate of those areas that escaped the wrath of the floods. And the results are not so encouraging, as is evident from the Devaswomkari padasekharam near Nedumudi, one of the first areas where harvest began this week.

“We had expected a yield of 20 quintals per acre, but the yield is just around 12 quintals. With around Rs.12,000 per acre going as expenses into the cultivation and harvesting machines from Tamil Nadu charging a staggering Rs.1,400 per hour, we are once again staring at losses this year,” says padasekharam president P.R. Mohanan.

Though the government pays Rs.850 per quintal, the farmer has to subtract the loading charges, shifting charges and other labour charges from this and is left with a revenue of around Rs.700, which translates into around Rs.8,400 per acre. A straight loss of nearly Rs.4,000 per acre.

“Here, though we managed to harvest the crop, the yield was reduced due to the recent rains and also due to pest attacks, mainly by rats which came here when other padasekharams were flooded due to bund breaches. The condition of farmers who lost the entire crop in the floods is beyond words,” he adds.

The Agriculture Department too is waiting with bated breath to see what the outcome will be in rest of the padasekharams where harvest is possible. The Department, apart from providing Rs.2,500 per hectare for 350 hectares to encourage shallow land cultivation, had also provided an assistance of Rs.1,500 per hectare for 3,500 hectares for fertilizers and seeds under its ‘Sustainable Development of Rice’ project. Whether these will yield any results has to be seen.

With scarcity of labour accentuated by the interference of trade unions adding to the farmers’ woes, any delay in procurement by the government or in implementing projects based on reports like that of the Swaminathan Commission could mean only more despair for the Kuttanad farmer.

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Kuttanad facing a grim harvest

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