THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P H Kurian’s comments to stop promoting paddy cultivation in Kuttanad and push tourism and potable water plants in the flood-hit region may not have gone down well with Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar and the agri scientific community in the state. However, there are a lot of takers for promoting integrated farming system (IFS) in Kuttanad, which is yet to gain momentum in the region despite it being part of the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP).
P Indira Devi, Director of Research at the Kerala Agricultural University, said before criticising senior bureaucrats should think why people of Kerala wholeheartedly accepted the idea of organic farming and started cultivating vegetables in kitchen gardens. Farming is a way of life and has social, ecological and cultural importance, she said.
“So, asking to stop paddy cultivation and promote tourism is akin to promoting real estate business. But at the same time, from an economist’s point of view, it is high time to switch to IFS, especially in sensitive areas like Kuttanad which would not only ensure sustainable income for farmers but ensure a healthy biodiversity in the region,” she said.
Rice-based IFS can be adopted by setting up cage fish culture of commercially viable species in enclosures in water bodies; commercial fish feed production for the cage fish culture by forming women self-help groups in areas like Kumarakom; commercial running of fish feed unit utilising agricultural byproducts; implementing multi-integrated farming models like rice-fish-duck-buffalo; and cultivating vegetable and banana on bunds, apart from cattle integration.
K G Padmakumar, director of International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea Level Farming, Kuttanad, said paddy cultivation in Kuttanad has a history of more than 200 years. If state wants to promote tourism in Kuttanad, it has to turn the flood-hit Kuttanad ‘green’ first. “We have to adopt an agriculture calendar and promote farming of various crops based on the calendar. We can conserve nature and its wealth through this win-win exercise,” he said.
George Abe, chief scientist and head of Kottayam sub-centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWDRM) said shutters of the Thanneermukkom bund are closed for three months. During this time waste from houseboats and other parts of the district accumulates in the region, affecting the fresh water aquifers as well as the flow of water. “So we should seriously think of adopting an agriculture calendar giving equal importance to saline tolerant varieties and other crops suited for the region,” he said.