Farming should be lucrative

Fragmented farming, low productivity, and unsustainability mark the plight of the agriculture sector in Kerala.

The farmers do not have the option to go in for alternative farming in paddy fields.
Thereby, optimum use of land is a far cry for the ryots.

There should be minimum extent of land and the per-acre productivity should be such that it should fetch remunerative income for the farmer to see him through the whole year.

For the small farmer, finance may not be forthcoming from the banks, unless he provides collateral security. Even if he manages to fulfil all the conditions for a loan, it may not be available on time. Therefore, most of the time, he has to depend on private financial firms which charge exorbitant rate of interest. The borrower would land up in a soup, for he would be going on paying interest and compound interest. The principal amount would remain unpaid.

We speak about the Land Reforms Act and the conversion of farm hand into owners of a plot of land. This has helped fragmentation and unsustainable ownership.

It is time we took stock of the situation about the nationalisation of kayal(backwater) land. The government had dubbed the Murickens as kayal kings as they had been doing paddy cultivation profitably. One fine morning, the government took over the paddy fields from the family.

The State cultivation of paddy fields resulted in it being non-remunerative. For years together the contiguous paddy fields had remained fallow.

Ultimately, the kayal land has been given over to landless labourers in small plots. How these small plots can be cultivated profitably is anyone’s guess. The government has mismanaged the situation.

The government cannot hold sway over everything. It cannot be owning everything. It can function as a regulator, but the main functions should be carried out by private players. Government property is public property. No one considers it as one’s property. Therefore, accountability, propensity to earn profit and judicious management are lacking.

Paddy cultivation was spread over 8,81,000 hectares in the State in the nineteen seventies. The extent of paddy cultivation came down to 3,47,000 hectares in 2001. In 2002, it got reduced further by 25,087 hectares.

Per-hectare tea production in Kerala is 1,600 kg while it is 2000 kg in Assam. Production of natural rubber per-hectare here is 1,800 kg, while it is 4,600 kg in Malaysia. Coconut yield is 6,188 nuts per hectare in Kerala, while it is double in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Low productivity, high wages, uneconomic holdings and lack of proper technology are looming large before the farmers in Kerala.

Farmers should not be subjected to forcible cultivation of particular crop. He should have the freedom to utlilise his plot of land for any purpose that would fetch him good returns.

The government cannot run farms profitably, but it is sitting in judgement over the experienced farmer and asking him to do its bidding. This is unheard of in democratic countries.

Unless farmers have manoeuvrability, his plight would be precarious.