Pathanamthitta: On a five acre land spread over the fertile riverbed at Ambalapuramali near Parumala village in Pathanamthitta, stout, fibrous stalks of sugarcane stand tall under the blazing sun. A group of farmers in this village has turned the barren field into a high yielding sugarcane farm. Their toil has also restored the legacy of this village which was once famous for sugarcane farming.
For generations, sugarcane farming had been the source of livelihood of the villagers in this Central Kerala region. However, what was once been a thriving industry had gradually faded into obscurity since the early 1990s.
Under the leadership of E K Raghunathan Nair, the farmers toiled hard for months and now they are reaping rich dividends.
“We got a good yield in the farming done on an experimental basis on a five-acre land at Ambalapuramali, a riverbed near the meeting point of Achankovil and Pampa rivers. Our success has prompted more farmers to come forward to cultivate sugarcane plants. The district panchayat too is wholeheartedly supporting us in our endeavor to reclaim the lost heritage,” said Nair, Secretary of the Pampa Karimbu Karshaka Samiti (Sugarcane Farmers’ Association).
However, one hurdle they face is to find a market for their produce and obtain a good price. The farmers have proposed to set up their own ‘chakku’ where they can process the sugarcane into jaggery and other byproducts and fetch a good price in the market.
“Unlike other states, Kerala doesn’t have a single sugar factory. It should be recollected that a main factor that led to the decline of sugarcane cultivation is the stoppage of functioning of the Pampa Sugar factory in 1994-95,” the 66-year-old farmer rued.
His ancestors were very much indulged in sugarcane cultivation, but he was forced to go out of the state in search of a job at the age of 21 after the yield dwindled. He returned to his village upon retiring from the Punjab government’s Printing and Stationery Department.
It was District Panchayat President Adv Omalloor Sankaran who first suggested reclaiming the hamlet's agricultural heritage. As a first step, a high-yielding variety – ‘Madhurima’, was provided to the farmers from the Sugarcane Seed Farm, Pandalam, under the Department of Agriculture.
“We also need the help of the State government in marketing our product, then only we could regain our lost glory in the true sense. They could take measures like restarting the Pamba Sugar Factory. Reviving sugarcane cultivation will provide a livelihood to hundreds of poor families in the region,” Nair said.
