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Paddy cultivation in Kuttanadu thomascombi doc
| Chapter - 1 INTRODUCTION Even though the food habits of the people of Kerala had remarkably changed over the last few decades, rice still continues to be their staple food. The diverse topographic, climatic and soil conditions of the state enable its people to cultivate a wide variety of seasonal and perennial crops. The various crops raised within the state are broadly classified into food crops, garden crops and plantation crops. An analysis of the changes in the cropping pattern in Kerala during its post formation period clearly shows that there has been a persistent shift in favour of garden crops and plantation crops at the expense of food crops. Within a period of 40 years from to 1998-99 area under the principal food crops declined from 11.23 lakh to 5.65 lakh hectares showing an aggregate decrease of 49.69 percent. Meanwhile area under the major garden crops viz, coconut, arecanut, cashewnut and pepper increased from 6.55 lakh to 12.30 lakh hectares and area under plantation crops increased from 2.06 lakh to 6.32 lakh hectares showing overall increases of 87.79 percent and 206.83 percent respectively. Rice accounts for nearly 95 percent of the total amount of food grains produced within the state. Over the past several decades the state government had initiated and implemented several intensive and extensive measures to increase domestic rice production. Agricultural development programmes like the Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) of 1960-61, the Intensive Paddy Development Programme (Package Programme) of 1971-72, the Operational Research Project in Integrated Rice Pest Control implemented from 1975 to 1995, the Group Farming Programme of 1989-90 and the Integrated Programme for Rice Development (IPRD) of 1994-95 were designed exclusively for the development of the state’s paddy farm sector. Large number of research institutions and soil testing laboratories were also setup in the major rice producing areas of the state. Nearly 20 1 Food crops include paddy, tapioca, other cereals and millets, banana and other plantains and pulses. Crops like coconut, arecanut, cashewnut and pepper are garden crops while tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber are plantation crops. percent of the total outlays of the Five Year Plans so far implemented in the state had been earmarked for the development of its primary sector and a major portion of the amount were spent for the promotion of paddy cultivation. Again almost all of the major and medium irrigation projects in the state were also executed with a view to facilitate both extensive and intensive paddy cultivation In spite of the strenuous efforts of the government, the hitherto performance of the paddy farm sector in the state has been quite disappointing. Since the mid seventies both the area under the crop and production of paddy had been declining in the state at alarming rates. Paddy growing areas in Kerala amounted to 33.16 percent of its total cropped area (TCA) during the year 1960-61. It declined to 18.38 percent in 1990-91 and further decreased to 12.10 percent by the year 1998-99. In this background the present study is a micro level attempt to identify the current problems in the paddy farm sector and to suggest remedial measures for its revival Download 240.69 Kb. Share with your friends:
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