Harvest season turns risky as rain and procurement hurdles hit farmers in Kerala

As concerns turn implicit the interaction of unseasonal summertime rainfall connected lasting crops, persistent delays successful paddy procurement, contempt administrative interventions, person triggered caller discontent among farmers successful precocious and northbound Kuttanad.

The unexpected rain, which arrived conscionable arsenic harvesting began, has severely dented husbandman confidence. Millers, they alleged, are present pressing harder for further concessions successful procurement rates. In galore places, harvested paddy remains piled successful the fields, exposed and susceptible to the downpour. Farmers fearfulness their crops could beryllium ruined if the vulnerability continues.

In Thalayolaparambu, for instance, farmers person incurred important costs transporting their harvest from fields to safer locations. Growers successful the Vadakkeputhussery paddy fields are struggling to determination paddy that has already been harvested and dried from the mediate of the fields to unafraid retention areas.

The affected agelong covers astir 120 acres and involves astir 80 farmers, galore of whom person achieved yields of up to 22 quintals per acre. Even tiny standard farmers are spending astir ₹2,000 to transport their nutrient owed to the adverse upwind conditions.

As farmers waited for procurement by millers, dense rains struck unexpectedly. Following this, galore worked tirelessly, time and night, pumping h2o retired of the fields successful an effort to support their crops from further damage.

Soil acidity level

M. K. Dileep, caput of the Upper Kuttanad Karshika Vikasana Samiti, said the concern is peculiarly terrible successful areas wherever ungraded acidity levels are comparatively high. In Madhuraveli adjacent Kaduthuruthy, harvested paddy has been lying successful the fields for much than a week due to the fact that of hesitation from millers to procure the crop. “The millers demanded a concession arsenic precocious arsenic 25 %, which works retired to 25 kg per quintal. After prolonged consultations involving officials of Supplyco, it was yet agreed to region discarded grains from the paddy. A instrumentality has been brought from Kozha for this purpose. All this means further expenditure for farmers,” helium pointed out.

Official sources, meanwhile, said paddy from northbound Kuttanad has higher moisture contented and discolouration, resulting successful little atom betterment compared with authorities norms. “In immoderate places, millers tin extract good little than the benchmark acceptable by the Union government, which is against 68 kg per quintal. They are pushing for much concessions to screen processing costs,” a Supplyco root noted.

Responding to this, Mr. Dileep said the lone agelong word solution is progressive authorities involution to make atom varieties suited to the acidic ungraded of the region, on with the instauration of amended cultivation practices.