Punchapadam farming: Officers, scientists go through meticulous methods
KASARGOD: Jaleshan said Malapp was the testing ground. “We knew Malapp will inspire other farmers of the panchayat to return to paddy farming. So we wanted it to be fail proof,” he said. So the officers and the scientists meticulously went through the process. They had 30 acres of paddy fields and 30 farmers.
Farmers were given a seven-level training in organic cultivation, said Dr Vanaja. “Apart from classroom studies, training was given in all aspects of cultivation, from managing nursery to harvesting,” she said.
Bumper crop
The harvest at Malapp became a festival. “It was a bumper crop. We harvested 40 tonnes from 30 acres,” said M Thamban, a retired banker, and now secretary of the Punchapadam Padasekharam (paddy field collective) of Malapp. The yield was around 1,300 kg per acre, he said. “It was more than the 1,200 kg per acre we used to get when we used chemical fertilisers,” he said. According of farmers, the government had set a price of Rs 23.50 per kg of grains. “But we sell in the open market for Rs 20 because the payment is prompt in the private market,” Thamban said. But by cultivating Jaiva and Ezhome-2, the farmers are getting Rs 30 per kg, he said.
Success ingrained
The success of Malapp encouraged farmers of Kannamkai to take up paddy farming last year. K Vijayan, who had left his fields fallow for two years, is the secretary of Kannamkai Padasekharam. “It withstood the saline onslaught, and the yield is too good to believe,” he said.In Kannamkai, 61 small farmers cultivated on 35 acres of paddy fields. “We started the harvest on Sunday,” he said. Vijayan said he used to invest Rs 30,000 on farm labour to cultivate 1 acre. Now, with machines taking care of sowing and harvesting, the farm cost has fallen to Rs 10,000.
“And government is subsiding the labour too,” he said. The cost-effective farming has piqued the interest of the farmers. “If the government can stop the saline water from reaching the fields, we can easily increase the acreage to 100 acres in two years,” he said.
Punchapadam spreads
Officers said this year they are extending Punchapadam to 60 acres in Padikeel, Puthilot, Maniyattu and Eravil in the panchayat. At the same time, Malapp and Kannamkai are continuing with the scheme.