Thrikkarippur: For the first time in years, hope is rippling across the Kawayi backwaters as mussel farmers witness a promising harvest and firmer market prices.

After years of crop damage and mounting losses, farmers are finally reporting a reasonably good yield this season, with those who seeded their farms in October and November recording the most encouraging results. With the onset of Ramadan, prices have remained steady and encouraging, further boosting their optimism.

Although the harvest has only just begun and is expected to continue for several months, the mussels are comparatively smaller in size this time. As summer intensifies, rising temperatures could affect overall production. Encouragingly, seed prices were lower than in previous years and there were no major crop losses caused by climatic disturbances. The timely commencement of harvesting at the start of Ramadan, a period of heightened demand, has further strengthened prices and buoyed farmer confidence.

Mussels are widely used to prepare a range of delicacies, including savouries and pickles. Demand for mussel based dishes rises sharply during Ramadan, with several seasonal outlets opening exclusively for the month. More than 2,000 farmers are engaged in the sector, including traditional fishermen, Kudumbashree units, men’s self help groups and people from diverse occupational backgrounds.

For many families, mussel farming remains the sole source of livelihood. Cultivation is concentrated in the backwater regions across the southern part of the district, spanning the panchayats of Padanna, Valiyaparamba, Thrikkarippur and Cheruvathur, as well as Nileshwaram Municipality. Among them, Padanna accounts for the highest number of farmers.

Despite the improved harvest, longstanding complaints about official apathy towards the issues faced by mussel farmers remain unresolved. Their key demands include bringing seed distribution and crop procurement under government control and ensuring timely subsidies and other cultivation benefits. In many cases, farmers who incur losses due to climate change continue to struggle without adequate compensation.

Thrikkarippur offers lifeline
Amid concerns that subsidies for individual cultivators had been discontinued, the decision of the Thrikkarippur panchayat to step in and extend support within its jurisdiction has come as welcome relief to the farming community.

In the budget presented last week, the panchayat earmarked funds to provide a subsidy of Rs 5,000 each to mussel farmers. The move is expected to encourage cultivators and strengthen confidence in the sector. Farmers believe that if other panchayats follow suit, it could attract more people to mussel farming and help transform the waterbody into one of the leading mussel producing regions.