Lack of infrastructure, saline water intrusion leave fields in Thrissur fallow
Last season had brought heavy losses to the farming community with incessant rainfall combined with saltwater intrusion leaving the harvest almost non-existent.
Last season had brought heavy losses to the farming community with incessant rainfall combined with saltwater intrusion leaving the harvest almost non-existent.
Last season had brought heavy losses to the farming community with incessant rainfall combined with saltwater intrusion leaving the harvest almost non-existent.
Mullassery: Farmers cultivating paddy in the 200-acre North Annakara Kolpadavu polders are facing a severe crisis, as the fields here lack basic infrastructure, including motor sets and are increasingly threatened by saltwater intrusion. As a result, many farmers have left the fields fallow this season.
Last season had brought heavy losses to the farming community with incessant rainfall combined with saltwater intrusion, leaving the harvest almost non-existent. Farmers report that while a normal yield would have produced 25 bags of paddy per acre, most could barely harvest two. Some even abandoned the small quantities they managed to reap. The reluctance of mills to procure the crop pushed several farmers to the brink of despair, with some even issuing threats of suicide after approaching the Krishi Bhavan.
Agriculture in the fields here depends on the Parappuzha Canal. During rainfall, water from the Vazhani Dam overflows into these fields due to breaches in the eastern bund. Without functional motors in the polder, draining the water has become time-consuming, preventing timely cultivation at the start of the season. By the end of the season, saline water too infiltrates the canal, further damaging the fields.
The polder had three 10-horsepower motors, one of which has been stolen. The remaining motors are inefficient due to age, making drainage a major challenge. The polder committee has long demanded a 50-horsepower motor along with a transformer, which has been only partially addressed. Under the RKAI project, a 50-horsepower motor has now been approved. However, the transformer issue remains unresolved. The motor costs Rs. 20 lakh, while KSEB estimates the transformer at Rs. 27 lakh and an approval from the Agriculture Department for the transformer is still pending.
Farmers are now urgently seeking support from the three-tier local bodies and elected representatives, including their MLA, to ensure the transformer is installed. They are also demanding that the eastern bund of the polder be raised and strengthened to prevent excessive water from flooding the fields.