The area under paddy and production fell in 2021-22 in Kerala compared to the previous fiscal, a trend visible in the case of several other important food crops as well, reveals the State-level Agricultural Statistics for 2021-22 published by the Department of Economics and Statistics.
Kerala had 1,95,734.15 hectares under paddy in 2021-22, a 4.54% decrease from 2020-21. “The production of rice decreased to 5,62,097 tonnes from 6,26,888 tonnes the previous year, which shows a decrease of 10.34%,” the annual report, published in August, noted.
Rice yield also fell from 3,091 kg per hectare to 2,872 kg per hectare. Both wetland and dryland paddy cultivation fell in 2021-22. While wetland paddy area fell by 7,914.62 hectares, dryland paddy area fell from 3,175.46 hectares to 1,783.77 hectares. The report also presents another set of data which amply reveals the dismaying trend in paddy cultivation over the years. ‘‘The area of paddy cultivation decreased by 77.66% during the year 2021-22 as compared to that of year 1975-76,’‘ it says.
During this period, the area under food crops decreased by 4.94% and non-food crops, by 0.03%. Banana and plantain cultivation witnessed a drop in area under the crops and production. Banana production fell from 5,44,188.717 tonnes in 2020-21 to 4,61,244 tonnes, while area under the crop fell by 15.04% in 2021-22 over the previous year. Plantain production dropped from 4,12,864.399 tonnes to 4,10,011 tonnes. The area under plantain fell by 3.11%.
Coconut, an exception
Coconut, on the other hand, witnessed an increase in production and productivity. While production rose from 4,788 million nuts to 5,535 million nuts, the yield rate rose from 6,228 nuts per hectare to 7,231 nuts per hectare.
Vegetables, on the other hand, saw a 4.78% decrease in the area under cultivation compared to 2020-21. The total area under cultivation of vegetables in 2021-22 stood at 38,386 hectares, representing 4.29% of the total area under food crops.
Spices’ case
Among the spices, pepper and turmeric saw a dip in production while ginger production saw a 6.54% increase. The report also noted that the total area under plantation crops stood at 6,85,309 hectares in 2021-22, down from 6,87,014.15 hectares the previous year.
