: The traditional rice bowl of Kerala is fast disintegrating. Palakkad district, which accounts for the largest acreage under paddy, is losing its rice fields. In the last 30 years, 63,000 hectares of paddy field has been ‘lost.’
As per statistics provided by the Agriculture Department, paddy was cultivated in 1,45,687 hectares in Palakkad district during 1990-91. But at present, only 82,573 hectares remains under paddy in spite of a sustained campaign for food security.
Several reasons
Several reasons are cited for this alarming trend: lack of government support, delay in release of procurement price by the Civil Supplies Department, climate change impact, and change in land-use patterns.
Ginger cultivation
Besides, there has been a growing preference among farmers to take up ginger cultivation. Rice fields are also leased out to farmers from outside the State. At present, ginger is cultivated in 20,488 ha, classified earlier as paddy fields.
“The situation is quite alarming. If the trend continues, Palakkad district would have no rice fields in 30 years. Ginger cultivation, coupled with commercial use of farm land, is posing a serious threat to the food security of the State. The delay in releasing procurement price by government agencies has forced many a farmer to abandon rice cultivation,” points out eco-activist Indyanur Gopi.
“We have lost about 47 per cent of our rice fields over the last decade. About 30,000 hectares has been diverted for other purposes between 2000 and 2014 alone,” points out Mr. Gopi.
Certain farmers blame the real estate lobby, which buys paddy fields from farmers at a cheap rate and converts them into house plots.
State help sought
“The farmers are forced to sell the fields owing to loss in paddy cultivation. The government should take steps to make paddy cultivation profitable,” says farmers’ leader Muthalamthode Mani.
Labour shortage is another issue. Farmers now depend on workers from Bengal in the absence of local labour force.
