For the last remaining collection of paddy fields of the Peringamala grama panchayat here, the intense drought has dealt a death blow. With the fields parched by the summer heat before the grains could be harvested, the land now remains barren.
Even until around 15 years back, the panchayat had around 98 hectares of land under paddy cultivation, according to T. Venugopalan Nair, convener of the Peringamala Padasekhara Samithi. Today, this has reduced to just around 9 hectares, with the remaining land filled up.
With both canals that irrigate the fields from the eastern and western sides completely drying up around two months ago, cultivation has collapsed and the land is now being let out for grazing cattle. Most of the 42 labourers who used to work in these fields now earn their livelihood through casual work.
The previous harvest of these fields had produced a yield of around 200 to 300 kilos per 0.05 hectares.
Other problems
It had been getting increasingly difficult to keep the cultivation going on even before the drought, says Mr. Venugopalan. “Government policies, while supporting large agricultural landholdings, mostly neglect the smaller ones.”
The Samithi had received a modest amount in subsidies and seeds through the grama panchayat and the Krishi Bhavan for the Mundakan season of 2016-17, while the funds for the previous sowing season had lapsed due to bureaucratic delay.
Yet another issue is the menace of wild boars and monkeys that come down to the fields from the nearby forests. The boars, in their hunt for preys, damage the crops as well as the ridges on the fields, necessitating the farmers to often stay up all night keeping watch before the harvest.
Although a Central team visited the fields last year and accepted the Samithi’s suggestions on fencing the fields and using advanced sonar equipment to keep the animals away, no such measure has been taken so far.
Irrigation project
Yet, there is some hope left, with a sum of around ₹65 lakh being estimated for an irrigation project for the area by the Department of Irrigation.
However, even this project, which involves constructing a new pond, is only likely to meet the needs of 50% of the land, says Mr. Venugopalan.
