Farmers abandon fields to ride autorickshaws in Kerala's Munderi, and they don't wish to return

When Krishnadas rides his autorickshaw past the swathes of grassy land strewn with thickets and weeds at Munderi in Kannur, he glances over the stretch ruefully. He used to be a farmer who once cultivated on 50 acres of land. The vista of paddy fields swaying in the gentle breeze was a charming sight for the people of Munderi. A major share of these fields has become barren. Some of the fields have been transformed into grazing spots for cattle. Mounting loss, wildlife attacks and the complex maze of procedures in availing assistance have forced people like Krishnadas to abandon farming here.

Apart from riding an auto rickshaw, he is also engaged in various odd jobs to make a living. "There could be umpteen reasons for farmers abandoning paddy cultivation in this region. But why authorities are turning a blind eye to it is indeed baffling. The primary deterrent to farming these days is the high cost of labour. It consumes almost 80% of the cost. The other major cost-incurring factor is manuring. After investing all these costs, and when the paddy is harvested, the path towards earning the returns is quite difficult. It's a bumpy road fraught with countless bottlenecks," says Krishnadas.

Earlier, Supplyco procured the paddy and the payment reached the farmer within 3 months. Now, though the State's minimum support price is ₹28 per kg and the centre's is about ₹32 for a kilo, there is a delay in the procurement and payment. "Farmers naturally turn to selling paddy to private mills at a very cheap price, pushing farmers further into losses. Besides, the price of fertilizers, are going high, which adds to the heavy expenses," says Sivakumar, another farmer.

The farmers said that the government's several financial aids and subsidies have dried up. "Farmers used to get around ₹17000 per hectare every year. Now, we don't get that. The government cites lack of funds for stalling such financial support," Krishnadas says and adds "Without such aids, farming is an unrewarding and miserable occupation."

Apart from that the threat from wild animals to the farming sector is unimaginably huge. "It is unbelievable why the authorities are unable to gauge the scale of destruction wild boars unleash on crops. Just to give an idea, I can show you this - the fields in Edakkad block, which produces around 4 to 5 tons of paddy every year, made a meagre 650 kg of paddy last time as it was ravaged by boars," Das points out.

Another factor that turns away the farmers from working in the field is the massive paper-works that is required to apply for various schemes. "All farmers should insure their crops while being cultivated. Insuring is a prerequisite for availing other government aids as well. But the irony is, while the premium for insuring 10 cents of land is ₹10, applying through Akshaya Kendra, costs ₹50. Most farmers who are not well versed in the task of paperwork formalities find it an uphill task and are instantly deterred from pursuing it," Rajesh Pattekal, a farmer, says.

M V Anil Kumar, member of the neighbouring Chembilode Panchayat, a staunch supporter of farming and a farmer himself, believes that the government should be supporting farmers above anyone else. "But, that is not happening. Instead, large tracts of land are being left to remain barren," Anil Kumar says.

He adds that there should be a supportive mechanism at every level of administration. "Earlier, there were Agriculture Officers, who literally stepped into the mud and joined the farmers in their activities to understand the ground and to know the challenges farmers faced. Such instances are hardly witnessed these days," he says.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Officer in Munderi Panchayat, S Geethu, sheds more light on the situation. "Unlike in any other parts of the State, in Munderi Panchayat, the local body had been readying the land for the farmers to cultivate paddy all these years. But, from this year, due to an audit objection, farmers had to carry out this job on their own. Yet, the cost they incurred was given to them as a subsidy later on," she says.

She also points out several other factors for the paddy fields being left barren. "Damages in the Vented Cross Bar (VCB), a minor irrigation system, were a major problem that engendered a collective departure from paddy cultivation," Geethu says. "Dysfunctional VCBs let saline water enter the paddy fields, which destroyed the crops in a large area, and farmers were unable to launch the second-phase planting of crops. However, efforts are on to initiate repair of the VCBs at the higher level," she says. "It's true that there has been a delay in disbursing the compensation, but redressal measures will be expedited," She adds. She also agrees on the role of wild boars and the nonseasonal rains that disrupted pollination, leading to erosion of productive paddy plants.

She hopes that once the measures are taken to resolve all the issues, farmers will get back to paddy cultivation. "There are farmers who have told me that paddy farming is profitable. It is definitely profitable. We'll be conducting meetings and seminars to bring cultivators back to paddy fields after ensuring conditions conducive to prospective paddy farming," she says.

Raju K M, a school teacher who stopped paddy cultivation a couple of years ago, says the main reason why he left farming was the inability to drive the tractors into the field after a road was constructed there. "The farm, which is now full of thickets and is infested with leeches, will need a lot of effort to be brought back into a cultivable form," Raju says. "Now, all that we get from the government is free seeds. Unless farmers are provided with all the benefits that previously existed, paddy farms will slowly disappear from this place," he says. Paddy fields in Peralasseri, Ancharakkandi and Vengad Panchayats in Kannur are also witnessing a similar situation.