The Pokkali Samrakshana Samithy, a voluntary group engaged in promoting pokkali cultivation, has accused the United Democratic Front (UDF) government of subverting the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act of 2008.
A meeting of the forum that was convened by its general convener Francis Kalathunkal alleged that the government was protecting the interests of the real estate lobby by converting paddy fields, and was facilitating the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in the pokkali fields. Such moves were being made, under the pretext of industrial growth, even while the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president has urged the government to adopt measures to promote organic farming across the State. Such activities would result in the destruction of pokkali fields, which serve as rainwater harvesters and prevent the intrusion of saline water from the sea to the groundwater sources. Efforts in this manner would also result in an ecological disaster that would affect the livelihoods of a large number of farmers and fishermen, the forum stated.