Peasants in and around Aranmula are apprehensive of the fate of paddy cultivation in the Aranmula puncha this year, with the State machinery allegedly showing symptoms of withdrawal from the forefront.
Talking to The Hindu, members of many farm groups (Padasekhara Samitis) expressed concern over the ‘indifferent attitude’ of the Agriculture Department towards the sustenance of paddy cultivation in the Aranmula puncha, revived with much fanfare a year ago.
“None other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sowed seeds in the Aranmula puncha in October 2016, marking the revival of paddy cultivation here, after a gap of not less than a decade. Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar was a familiar face to the farmworkers in Aranmula as he used to visit the paddy fields frequently to assess the progress of cultivation last year. But the Minister failed to turn up to see what was under way in Aranmula this time around,” says P.N. Thomas of the Thechikkavu-Thoombady Padasekhara Samiti. Mr. Thomas alleged that the Irrigation Department had miserably failed to make necessary arrangements for draining out the excess water from the fields and irrigate the fields during the dry days of December-January.
‘Despirited’
The official assurance that pumping systems will be installed at select points in the Aranmula puncha too remains a non-starter. Sasidharan Nair Panchavady, Mallappuzhassery Palliyoda Karayogam president, said the time for sowing seeds was over and the government had deceived the poor farmers and farmworkers by not providing the necessary ground support to them.
The department had even shifted nodal officer J. Sajeev, who was the driving spirit behind the previous year’s success story at Aranmula, Mr. Nair alleged.
The project to restore the illegally converted Karimaramthodu cutting across the Aranmula puncha on the directions of the Kerala High Court was abruptly stopped a few months back owing to the heavy monsoon.
The State administration was yet to resume the work and complete the natural stream restoration process, leaving the farming community dispirited, Mr. Nair said.
The Agriculture Department was yet to depute an official with proven track record to coordinate the farmers’ groups in the Aranmula puncha, he alleged.
Meanwhile, official sources told The Hindu that the department had made arrangements to extend paddy cultivation to more areas in Aranmula region this year.
The local MLA, Veena George, formally launched cultivation by sowing seeds in the Mundakom fields near Pannivelichira on Friday, they said.