Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Farm crisis in Palakkad linked to labour shortage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Acute shortage of farm labourers is the main reason for the agricultural crisis in Palakkad district, a study conducted among 200 families in five grama panchayats in the district has concluded.

The study was done by a team led by head of the Department of Economics, University of Kerala, B. Alvin Prakash in June-July 2007 in the grama panchayats of Mannarkkad, Pirayiri, Elappulli, Kannambra and Kuthannoor.

To counter this shortage, the study recommends that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) be suspended in the district during the main agriculture season — from June 1 to July 15, September, October, February and March.

The study also suggests that farmers and agriculture societies should be given long-term loans and subsidies for the purchase of tractors, tillers and harvesting machines. Local youth must be given training in the maintenance and repair of such machines.

Paddy farming is being done on 1.11 lakh hectares in the district; this is 38 per cent of the total paddy farming done in the State. 39 per cent of the farmers in Palakkad possess less than half a hectare of land. Forty percent of the farmers have taken loans ranging from Rs.40,000 to Rs.3 lakh from various agencies. A majority of farmers do not repay their loans, the study found. While farmers spend Rs.28,753 per hectare, their returns is only Rs.6,227.

Thirty-eight percent of the farmers sell grain directly to mills and merchants owing to delays in paddy procurement, delays in distributing procurement prices and levying of freight charges. The study recommends that freight charge be henceforth borne by the agency that procures paddy and that the procurement mechanism be toned up to avoid delays.

The study also proposes instituting loan schemes for the non-agricultural needs of farmers, distribution of chemical fertilisers to farmers directly from the Krishi Bhavan, promotion of organic manures and timely completion of irrigation projects in the district. The government should offer debt-relief to farmers who have taken loans from various banks and from private financiers.

The study also moots aid of Rs.20,000 to farmers having less than half a hectare of land, Rs.30,000 to those having up to one hectare and Rs.40,000 for those who have more than one hectare.

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