In the preface to the 2007 study report ‘Measures to Mitigate Agrarian Distress in Alappuzha and Kuttanad Wetland Ecosystem,’ M.S. Swaminathan wrote: “We must create a Kuttanad Regeneration Symphony with all the actors playing their part in harmony with each other. Saving the Kuttanad ecosystem and the regeneration of the agriculture of this area has to be a joint Centre-State responsibility.”
As it became glaringly evident later on, many of the far-sighted recommendations of what came to be known as the ‘Kuttanad Package’ never materialised. This was largely due to a lack of coordination among government departments and the chaotic way the schemes were executed. But the study report of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) did provide a master plan, a way forward, for problem-plagued Kuttanad.
There is no denying that Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, the agricultural scientist and architect of the ‘Green Revolution’ who passed away in Chennai on Thursday, had a soft spot for ‘rice bowl’ Kuttanad.
‘’He had a great attachment to Kuttanad, given his family ties to Mankombu. After the Kerala government invited him in 2006 to frame the Kuttanad Package, he travelled all over the region, talking to people and preparing the report,” said R. Ramakumar, Expert Member, State Planning Board, and lead author of the ‘A Special Package for Post-Flood Kuttanad’ which the board submitted to the State government in October 2019.
The ₹1,840-crore Kuttanad Package as recommended by the MSSRF was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2008. The report urged the government to declare the fragile wetland system a ‘Special Agricultural Zone.’ It emphasised the need to protect and restore the water spread area by halting reclamation/encroachment of the backwaters and canals and demarcating the boundaries of Vembanad Lake and the waterways.
Among other things, the report stressed the need to develop the AC Canal and modernise the Thottapally spillway and the Thanneermukkom barrage. Again, it spoke of the need to encourage the use of short duration paddy varieties.
In its post-flood 2019 report, the State Planning Board noted, “A key issue in the implementation of the Kuttanad Package was that it never had a unified focus,”’ and “We believe that much of the public dissatisfaction with the Kuttanad Package has to do with this lack of coordination across departments.”
“He used to say that ‘we gave a very detailed report, but only a few recommendations were implemented’,” recalled Dr. Ramakumar. “But he was happy that some of the recommendations were implemented. He was very keen to have a unified body for Kuttanad which took all government departments together,” he said. Indeed, the recommendations that became part of the 2019 report too were finalised in consultation with Dr. Swaminathan.
Dr. Swaminathan was deeply concerned about the biodiversity wealth of Kerala, and the fact that many species were under threat. This concern can be seen reflected in the May 2008 MSSRF report ‘Measures to Mitigate Agrarian Distress in Idukki District of Kerala’ (the Idukki Package) and the foundation’s decision to establish the ‘Community Agrobiodiversity Centre’ at Kalpetta, Wayanad.
He once observed that, “Many species in the Western Ghats region are included in the Red Data Books of the Botanical Survey of India. It is obvious that to prevent further genetic erosion, we should adopt a two-pronged strategy comprising, a) efforts to promote public awareness and participation in the conservation of genetic wealth, and, b) promoting the revitalisation of the in situ and on-farm conservation traditions of rural and tribal families by creating an economic stake in conservation.”
“The centre in Wayanad was launched in the context of Western Ghats biodiversity and how community participation can be guaranteed in agriculture. In fact, the MSSRF itself was started on the concept, ‘From Green Revolution to an Evergreen Revolution,” notes Dr. Anil Kumar, former Executive Director, MSSRF, and Director of the ‘Community Agrobiodiversity Centre, Kalpetta.
Dr. Swaminathan was keen that the State’s farm sector use modern technology and make farming profitable for the farmers. Inaugurating the Perumatty Agro Service Centre in Palakkad district on May 27, 2012, he spoke about this need, saying it would help in creating skilled employment in the rural areas.
