When the devastating floods in August submerged large tracts of farmland across Kerala, the Pokkali paddy variety, which grows to a height of up to 2 m, survived the rising waters. The GI-tagged Pokkali is a saltwater-tolerant paddy grown in the coastal fields of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. Endemic to central Kerala, the variety is now grown in only over 5,000 hectares, a drop from over 25,000 hectares a few decades ago, due to high labour cost and poor returns.
The single-season paddy is raised in saltwater fields between June and November followed by a season of fish-farming. After the harvest, the paddy stubble in the fields acts as food and shelter for shrimp and small fish. Fish excreta and scales, along with the decomposed stubble, provide excellent natural manure for another season of Pokkali.
Today, this farming tradition is under threat. While Pokkali rice fetches a good ₹110 a kg, the production does not compensate the farmer for the strenuous, labour-intensive cultivation. Lack of labour has forced farmers to try using mechanised tillers and rice planters for cultivation lately, but harvest remains labour-intensive.
Pokkali rice is consumed locally. With just a few farmers growing the crop now, local societies, cooperative banks and MGNREGA groups have stepped in to protect this variety of rice, which the local people believe has medicinal properties.
Salt in a grain: Pokkali paddy crop raised at Kadmakkudy in Ernakulam district. Large expanses of saltwater characterise the cultivation.
A tradition: Life passes by as the paddy grows in roadside fields.
The pokkali rice is now ready to harvest: at more than a metre tall, harvesting it is a hard feat.
As the harvest progresses, the paddy is loaded on country canoes and transported to land.
The threshed paddy is laid out to dry in the picturesque background of the pokkali fields.
Workers have to first wade through water - sometimes neck deep - to get to the paddy.
A worker then prepares the ground to thresh the paddy, using their feet.