Support price cannot support rice: 1.15 lakh farmers leave paddy farming

ALAPPUZHA: 1,15,324 paddy farmers have stopped farming in the state in two years due to the increase in production cost. Farmers organizations say that there is a loss of 487.58 crores and there is no solution to the problem despite cultivation. The Centre's support price also did not help the farmers.

The rise in prices of fertilizers and pesticides and the cost of labour over the past five years have made farmers indebted. 12 rupees per quintal as handling cost of paddy was announced 18 years ago by the government. It has not been updated since. Crop damage due to natural calamities also left the farmers in the dark. Due to drought, 1.73 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is short in the second crop. According to the government estimate, the production per hectare is 55 quintals but this year the average yield was 28.32 quintals due to the summer heat. At Rs 28.20 per kg, the farmer will get only Rs 79,862. A loss from investment of nearly half a lakh rupees. Losses will increase when pumping subsidy and handling charges are arrears.

Total cost of cultivation per hectare including lease, seed and labour cost- Rs.1,25,674

Dues to be received by the farmer for a hectare

Royalty- 3000

Production Incentive- 1000 Rupees (Incentive for Paddy Cultivation)

Sustainable Rice Agriculture Development Project- 5500

Pumping Subsidy - 1800 (for paddy fields)

Pumping Subsidy-2500 ( for fields below sea level that are not suitable for cultivation)

Those who cultivated paddy every year

2021-22........... 3,09,845

2022-23............2,49,305

2023-24............1,94,521

Paddy production

2022-23.......7.31 lakh metric tonnes

2023-24.......5.58 lakh metric tonnes

Shortage.........1.73 lakh metric tonnes

"Paddy cultivation will survive only if at least one and a half times the cost of production is paid as procurement price as suggested by Dr MS Swaminathan in the Kuttanad package."

- Sonychan Pulinkunnu,

Paddy Farmers Protection Committee