The suicide of a 49-year-old paddy farmer, Rajeev, in upper Kuttanad has arguably emerged as an alarming reminder of the crisis facing the agriculture sector in Kerala.
Unseasonal rains, spiralling fertilizer cost, “shoddy” paddy procurement, raiding wild animals, and low harvest price indicated that another hard season of agrarian distress could be on Kerala’s horizon.
A preliminary government assessment has pegged the crop loss due to rains in Kottayam (1,071 hectares) and Pathanamthitta (795 hectares) between April 1 and April 12 alone at ₹21.58 crores.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of more rain in the coming days.
Agricultural misery is also shaping up as the next battlefront between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition. It is also posing a thorny political and economic challenge to the government.
Opposition charge
Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, visited Rajeev’s bereaved family in Niranam. He said crop-killing unseasonal rains, zero support from the government, faulty paddy procurement, delayed and paltry compensation for harvest loss, spiralling fertilizer price and coercive pressure from banks to repay agriculture loans had cast a gloom over the ailing agriculture sector in Kerala. “There are no agriculture officers in at least three block offices in Kuttanad,” he alleged.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran, who accompanied Mr. Satheesan, said Kuttanad's lush green fields masked the woes faced by its farmers. He said pockets of farmer misery existed across Kerala. The government was least concerned about rural distress and rising farmer suicides. It was obsessed with K-Rail (Silverline).
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan claimed that 375 farmers had committed suicide in Kerala in 2020. In 2019, as many as 128 them had ended their lives because of crippling debt and lack of State support.
Central schemes for farmers have not benefitted Kerala’s agriculture sector due to LDF’s indifference. The State government’s moratorium on the recovery of agriculture loans remained on paper, he alleged
Meanwhile, A.D. Sheela, Principal Agriculture Officer, Pathanamthitta, denied allegations that Rajeev had received no government aid to cushion crop loss. Ms. Sheela claimed that the government had disbursed ₹3.51 lakh as crop insurance for the farmer's collective, including Rajeev.
