Paddy output in Alappuzha is set to be lower than estimated as the ‘puncha’ crop season is nearing completion.
With less than 200 hectares remaining to go under combine harvesters, the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) could procure only 1,20,856 tonnes as against the initial target of 1,37,800 tonnes from the district in the season.
“Paddy harvest has been completed in almost all the fields in Alappuzha. We expect to procure around 1,000 tonnes more from the district before the season comes to a close. The overall paddy production will not touch the earlier forecast due to reduced yield,” says a Supplyco official.
According to farmers and experts, the average yield, this ‘puncha’ season, dropped to two tonnes per acre from 2.5 to three tonnes during a normal season. Experts at the Rice Research Station, Mankombu, a research facility under the Kerala Agricultural University, recently attributed the drop in crop yield to climate change. When the plants needed rain, a dry spell prevailed in the region. Prolonged exposure to sunlight and high temperature resulted in plants losing moisture. It forced advanced grain maturity but with reduced weight.
Farmers had undertaken paddy farming on 28,663 hectares in the district in the ‘puncha’ season, a major portion of which was in Kuttanad. Besides the low yield, ryots are upset over the inordinate delay in the disbursal of procurement price. The Supplyco has procured paddy worth ₹340.81 crore from Alappuzha this season. However, it has distributed only ₹22.4 crore to around 2,300 farmers as procurement price. “We owe ₹318 crore to paddy farmers in Alappuzha. We are awaiting a decision from the government on funds to clear the pending dues,” says the Supplyco official.
The government earlier fixed the procurement price of paddy at ₹28.20 per kilogram. This includes a minimum support price of ₹20.40 and a State incentive bonus of ₹7.80. Besides, farmers are also entitled to get another 12 paise per kg as handling charges.
