The harvesting of paddy cultivated in the 'puncha' crop (first crop) season is going full throttle in Alappuzha.
Harvest has been completed in nearly 15% of the area under cultivation. According to the Agriculture department, farmers have undertaken paddy cultivation in 26,602 hectares (ha) spread across 587 padasekharams in the district, a major portion of which is in Kuttanad.
The paddy harvest and procurement got under way in the last week of February. The Supplyco has so far procured 21,497.52 tonnes of paddy from the district, mostly from Kuttanad. "Barring minor issues, overall paddy procurement is going well. After a brief hiatus due to the nationwide general strike, the process resumed on Wednesday. At present, procurement is going on at Neelamperoor, Pulinkunnu and other areas in lower Kuttanad," said a Supplyco official.
₹14 crore given
Supplyco has so far distributed ₹14 crore as procurement price to farmers. Paddy farmers in the region are getting an average yield between 2 and 2.5 tonnes an acre, which is slightly below the expected level.
Earlier, sowing for the puncha season was delayed in several areas due to heavy downpour and floods in the district in October-November last year. This is having an impact on harvest, with the process set to go beyond the normal schedule. Several farmers are facing the risk of summer rain affecting paddy harvest in April-May. The district received light to moderate showers in the past couple of days, leaving the farmers worried about their crops.
"As per the schedule, sowing for the puncha crop season should be completed by December first week. This season, the sowing, however, continued till January. As a result, we expect harvesting and procurement to go on till May-end or the first week of June. As of now, things are going smooth. But if it rains continuously, it will hamper the entire process," said an official.
Combine harvesters
Though farmers have expressed concern over the availability of necessary combine harvesters, the issue has not affected harvesting for the time being. The rental rates for harvesters have been fixed at a maximum of ₹1,900 an hour, except in ‘kayal’ fields where it is ₹2,000. The department has constituted a 12-member committee to resolve issues regarding the puncha crop harvest.
Though pest attacks and wild rice have been reported from a few places in Kuttanad, the situation is under control.
