Relentless rains, floods force farmers in Wayanad to bury crops in Mathothuvayal
The decision behind ploughing the crop, which was cultivated by spending lakhs of rupees
The decision behind ploughing the crop, which was cultivated by spending lakhs of rupees
The decision behind ploughing the crop, which was cultivated by spending lakhs of rupees
Panamaram: They sowed their seeds with high hopes, only to plough them back into the earth with heartbreak. In the polders of Mathothupoyil, paddy farmers have been forced to turn over acres of standing crop without a single harvest.
Relentless rains left the fields waterlogged, drowning their dreams along with the tender green shoots. With no choice left, the farmers have now begun ploughing the soaked fields including crop, weeds and all, to prepare once again for the next Nanja cultivation season. The cycle continues, but the hope feels heavier this time.
The decision behind ploughing the crop, which was cultivated by spending lakhs of rupees, along with the land, was taken after the rains that lashed the region.
The tender paddy that had just sprouted from the saplings was soon battered by the relentless rains that lashed the region without pause for days. The remaining standing crop, meanwhile, succumbed to rot and infectious diseases brought on by earlier downpours. The heavy rains had caused the river to breach its banks on atleast three separate occasions, submerging the fields in floodwaters for days on end and sealing the fate of the crop.
According to Eranalloor Sreenivasan, who had leased eight acres of the polders for cultivation here last season, the decision to plough down the crop follows the realisation that even the labour cost could not be met. “If I am to harvest this crop, it will incur me huge debts and what I will get is only sour and damaged paddy,” he said.
After his crop was damaged due to waterlogging, Sreenivasan approached the agricultural office, though to no avail. Considering the changing climate pattern, Sreenivasan said he would not be sowing crops for the Punja season from next year onwards and that this time, he suffered losses worth Rs. 1.45 lakh. As he was hesitant to plough down the full-grown crop, Sreenivasan had asked many to harvest the crop along with the grass and weeds grown in his field. But nobody was willing for it.
Meanwhile, the growers are also concerned that even if a new set of seeds are sown, whether the ploughed-down paddy will germinate again.