Paddy fields in Kerala are facing a dire situation as farmers are increasingly abandoning them due to soaring production costs and issues with paddy procurement by the State government. According to the latest report from the Directorate of Economic and Statistics on Kerala’s agriculture sector, rice production and the area dedicated to paddy cultivation have witnessed a sharp decline over the past two decades, resulting in the loss of 1,26,634 hectares of paddy fields and a significant drop in rice production, which now stands at 1,41,407 tonnes.
Between 2001-02 and 2021-22, Kerala recorded a staggering 39 percent reduction in the area allocated for paddy cultivation and a 20 percent decrease in rice production. In 2001-02, the paddy cultivation area spanned 3,22,368 hectares, but by 2021-22, it had shrunk to 1,95,734 hectares. Similarly, rice production dwindled from 7,03,504 tonnes in 2001-02 to 5,62,097 tonnes in 2021-22. Alarmingly, even the traditional paddy cultivation strongholds like Palakkad, Alappuzha, and Thrissur districts witnessed a decline in cultivation areas.
The report also highlights that the area under paddy cultivation continued to diminish, with 9,306.31 hectares lost from 2020-21 to 2021-22. The stark contrast to historical figures is evident as Kerala had 7.60 lakh hectares of paddy fields in 1955-56, which increased to 8.76 lakh hectares in 75-76 but gradually declined. In 2000, paddy was cultivated in 2.5 lakh hectares, but by 2016, it had dropped to 1.92 lakh hectares, showcasing a worrying trend.
These findings contradict the government’s claim that paddy cultivation expanded in the state following the 2018 floods. Furthermore, the state’s vegetable cultivation also suffered a significant setback, with a 1.80 percent decline in total area in 2020-21 and a 4.78 percent decrease in 2021-22. While certain crops like bananas, coconuts, tapioca, coffee, and areca nut witnessed production increases, cashews, pepper, rubber, pulses, ginger, and turmeric experienced significant declines. Overall, Kerala’s agriculture sector registered a decline of 4.54 percent in the agricultural area and a substantial 10.34 percent drop in production.
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