The harvest of paddy crops cultivated in the additional (second) crop season has begun in Kuttanad. The 200-acre Vadakara-Edassery-Varambinakam paddy polder under Champakulam Krishi Bhavan was the first to go under combine harvesters.
Earlier, the farmers in over half a dozen fields had been forced to postpone harvest after heavy downpours, coupled with the flow of floodwaters from the eastern side, inundated the fields. The process resumed after rains halted and fields were dewatered.
Farmers have undertaken paddy farming on 8,765 hectares in the additional season in the district, a major portion of which is in Kuttanad. Farmers said that there is uncertainty over the procurement of the harvested crop.
Earlier, authorities fixed the rental rate for harvesters at a maximum of ₹2,000 per hour for the season. Meanwhile, the preparation of fields for the upcoming ‘puncha’ (first) crop season is progressing in full swing in the region. The puncha season witnesses the most extensive acreage of paddy cultivation in Kuttanad.
