Traditional paddy farmers who have revived the paddy-cum-shrimp cultivation in the tidal marshes near Anthur here, by cultivating a rare salinity-resistant rice seed, are planning to market the organically grown rice.
Ketharam, a self-help group of paddy farmers of Vellikkeel Chera in the Anthur municipality, has been cultivating the Kuttoosan variety of rice that was once popular in the kaipad fields (traditional brackish water paddy fields). The variant had almost become extinct after a large extent of tidal marshes was left fallow for years. It is for the fourth successive year that the group is harvesting produce on its 16-acre field, which includes the land owned by each member and cultivable land on lease.
“We have been harvesting 1,500 kg rice per acre after the revival of the kaipad cultivation under the rice-cum-shrimp scheme of under the Agency for Aquaculture Development, Kerala (ADAK),” said M. Sureshan, secretary of the group.
