THRISSUR: While the farmers in the Thrissur-Ponnani Kole wetlands are urging the state government to compensate them for the crop loss this year and to release the study report jointly conducted by the Kerala Agriculture University and the agriculture department in this regard, experts have pointed out that intense heat may have caused the low yield.
A Latha, chief of the Agriculture Research Station in Mannuthy, said that the centre has collected samples of soil and crops for detailed lab analysis. “The tests are under way. Our studies on the field have made it clear that intense heat in the atmosphere affected paddy cultivation. Not just in the Kole wetlands, the phenomenon could cause similar issues of low yield across the state due to the climatic condition,” she said.
In the Kole wetlands, paddy is harvested mainly in March and April. “However, the scorching heat at the time of the paddy spikes (kathir) formation led to the poor harvest. In some regions, even the pollination process was affected due to the climate,” she said.
Latha said that once the detailed analysis reports come out, it would be beneficial to the farmers to prepare in advance for the future. About 30,000 farmers, through 130 ‘padasekhara samithis’ have taken up paddy farming in the Kole Wetlands in Thrissur and Malappuram districts.
They also paid Rs 100 per acre to the government towards its crop insurance scheme.