The scorching summer heat has dealt a sharp blow to the State’s farm sector, affecting close to 25,000 farmers and destroying crops — primarily banana, cardamom and paddy — worth ₹100.50 crore, as per the latest available data.
Nearly half the affected farmers hit by the summer conditions are from Idukki, according to a preliminary report compiled by the State Agriculture department based on crop loss inputs drawn from the farming community.
According to the summary report on crop loss for the period from February 1 to May 5, farmers across all 14 districts have reported crop loss totalling ₹100.50 crore, of which Idukki district alone accounted for ₹42.43 crore, followed by Palakkad at ₹16.50 crore. Of the 24,984 farmers affected, 12,578 are from Idukki, 2,573 from Palakkad, 2,913 from Kannur and 2,409 from Kollam.
Crop-wise losses include banana (bunched and non-bunched) in 2,530.54 hectares, cardamom in 1,722.58 hectares, paddy (main field) in 1,468.12 hectares and pepper (bearing and non-bearing) in 281.24 hectares. Coconut, vegetables, arecanut, nutmeg, sesamum and cocoa also have taken hits, but to a lesser degree, the data show.
Banana farmers have sustained losses worth approximately ₹40 crore, cardamom cultivators ₹12.05 crore, pepper ₹16.97 crore, and paddy, ₹22.02 crore.
Considering the gravity of the situation, the Agriculture department has created block-level teams of experts to carry out detailed, field-level inspections. A preliminary assessment by the department concluded that the drought-like situation has led to the drying up of water sources, causing not just crop loss, but also fall in yield and quality. The expert teams will look into these aspects as well. Their reports are expected to be in by May 9, according to a government order issued on May 4 following a State-level review by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad the previous day.
Rainfall deficit
India Meteorological Department (IMD) data show that rainfall has been scanty this summer in the agricultural districts of Kerala. Overall, summer rainfall fell short by 65% (large deficient in IMD parlance) compared to the normal between March 1 and May 6. The data on rainfall deficit for selected agricultural districts are as follows: Idukki (-82%), Palakkad (-87%), Thrissur (-84%), Alappuzha (-33%).
For helping the farmers tackle the situation, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has been providing weekly crop advisories through the All India Radio and its own website. In general, the KAU has advised farmers to try out drought-resilient crop varieties, ensure adequate irrigation and adopt measures that help to retain water content in the soil.
