Vagaries of the weather, rapid infrastructure and property developments and expanding shrimp farming have reduced acreage under pokkali cultivation in the State. According to available data, acreage under the rice variety, unique to the coastal areas of the State lying roughly between Kuthiathode in Alappuzha district and Kodungalloor in Thrissur district, has shrunk to about 1,800 hectares.
Of these, data for 2013 season showed that only about 1,700 hectares came under sowing. Scientists engaged in research on pokkali rice estimate that the State may have had about 26,400 hectares at the turn of the century.
A host of problems have plagued pokkali farming in the State. Though shortage of hands was the key issue more than a decade ago, it has now turned out that vast tracts of the fields have come under shrimp farming throughout the year despite the State’s declared policy of “one rice and one fish” cycle in a calendar year.
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Information from some of the agricultural offices in the district showed that pokkali cultivation has had a reasonably good season this year. About 120 hectares came under sowing in Varappuzha panchayat. Kumbalanghi had about 38 hectares; Chellanam 40 hectares; Pallippuram 52 hectares and Edavanakkad 25 hectares.
A scientist at the Vyttila Rice Research Station said the most recent blow to pokkali cultivation was the flooding of the fields in 2013 when unprecedented rain inundated large areas in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
The flooding resulted in substantial loss in terms of seed production. About 1,700 hectares came under sowing during the 2013 season. However, most of the fields were inundated.
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A spokesman for Pokkali Samrakshana Samithi, a voluntary group engaged in propagating pokkali cultivation, said pokkali fields came under constant pressure from shrimp farming. He alleged shrimp lobby was behind the flooding of sown fields with salt water ahead of the harvest this season.
Scientists also pointed out that large areas under pokkali had been taken over for developmental activities in Ernakulam district.