Beset with a litany of problems ranging from prohibitive input costs to lack of market linkage and poor availability of quality seeds and biopesticides, hi-tech farmers in the State who had invested in polyhouses are looking up to the government for a special package to address their woes.
Left with mounting losses and poor yield, many of the 500-odd farmers are looking for an exit route, with some of them already switching back to open field cultivation.
1200 polyhouses across State
According to official estimates, there are about 1,200 polyhouses across the State growing vegetables in controlled conditions. But a majority of the farmers are burdened with heavy debts and poor return on investment.
According to V. Gopakumar, a former Army man hailing from Kattakada who took to polyhouse cultivation several years back, most of the hi-tech farmers are struggling to remain afloat. “The government has failed to honour its commitment to provide free power and technical assistance and hi-tech farmers are denied the tax benefits extended to investors in other sectors. With poor access to technology, we are running out of options to keep going.”
Polyhouse farmers in the State incur heavy input costs on water- soluble fertilizers, pesticides and biocontrol agents imported from other States. Plant diseases and poor quality of seeds have affected yield.
The failure of the government to provide market linkage for vegetables produced in polyhouses is pointed out as a major issue.
“It is difficult to find a local market for non-pollinated crops like salad cucumber and capsicum that are ideally suited for polyhouse cultivation. If farmers are to generate sustainable profits, the government has to step in to provide an assured market,” says Jose George, a polyhouse farmer from Kothamangalam.
Says Narayanankutty, Professor, Agricultural Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, “The investment on hi-tech farming is about 10 times more than that required for open-field cultivation. It is important to identify a niche market for polyhouse crops.”
Dr. Narayanankutty said the poor yield reported by farmers could often be traced to cheaper but inferior varieties of seeds imported from countries such as Taiwan and Indonesia.
Special package for them
Director, State Horticulture Mission, K. Prathapan said efforts were on to assess the issues faced by polyhouse farmers.
“We will come up with a special package addressing all their problems. A special corps of trained technicians will be raised to assist them,” he said.
