KOCHI: At a time when the government asserts that production of vegetables in Kerala has increased in recent years and the state is on the path to self-sufficiency, agriculture economists and experts questioned the claim, saying they are not clear if the assertion is based on the quantity of vegetable consumption or the quantity an adult requires to lead a healthy life.
Domestic production of vegetables has risen from 7.25 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 16.01 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, according to the Economic Survey. As per provisional data, this figure has crossed 17 lakh tonnes in 2022-23. Experts are mainly confused by agri-produce like nendran bananas, different varieties of small bananas, papayas, mangoes and jackfruits, which are fruits but are also consumed as vegetables. Then there are moringa leaves and their fruit drumsticks, different parts of a banana tree like its trunk and flowers that are consumed as vegetables.
“As per government data, nendran banana is cultivated on 56,000 hectares. However, we lack data on what percentage of it is consumed as vegetables. So, we don’t know if the government has included nendran, papaya, mango, jackfruit in its total vegetable production figures,” said Dr P Indira Devi, professor emeritus of agricultural economics and director of research at Kerala Agricultural University.
She said studies have shown that an adult should consume at least 200g of tuber, 100g of leafy vegetables and 200g of other vegetables per day to lead a healthy life. This comes to 500g of vegetables per day, or 182.5kg per year.
Given that Kerala’s population is 3.34 crore, and 15 per cent of them are below nine years of age, Kerala has 2.83 crore adult population.
A back-of-the-envelope calculation says the state requires 51.64 lakh tonnes of annual production to claim self-sufficiency in vegetables,” Dr Indira said.
M M. Abbas, director, of Organic Kerala Charitable Trust, said what’s required are not such claims but a real effort to increase production and, more importantly, ensure remunerative and sustainable prices for farmers.
Abbas, who is promoting organic farming in Vattavada and Kanthalloor in Idukki pointed out that this year, farmers in the area have suffered huge losses due to heavy rain in the monsoon season. “There should be some mechanism to protect farmers from the vagaries of nature and price fluctuations,” he said.
Sumi A D, assistant director and research officer at the Economics and Statistics department, said the data on vegetable production and our growth path towards self-sustenance on vegetable cultivation is based on the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) estimate of 160g of vegetable consumption per day by an adult. By that assumption, Kerala would require only 16.5 lakh tonnes of vegetables per year to become self-sustainable.
“This is where we need clarity on data,” said Dr Indira, adding that both the Economic Review and the Farm Guide, brought out by the state government, are not providing data on vegetable-wise production and the area of cultivation for a large number of vegetables.
“I’m not questioning the government’s data. What I’m saying is that all the data is not in the public domain,” she said.
Dr Indira said Kerala can be self-sustainable in vegetable cultivation if we return to traditional eating habits, consuming banana stems, flowers to jackfruit, mangoes moringa leaves etc. “Of course, eating habits have changed over several decades, and we have to depend on other states for vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, tomatoes, beetroot, etc.,” she said.