KOCHI: A prolonged dry spell during the initial phase of the monsoon, but a downpour in the second half of July that triggered flash floods. The monsoon remained erratic. Compounding the woes was a spike in fertiliser prices.
But farmers seem to have overcome the challenges. With Onam season in full swing, vegetable farmers across the state say they are getting good prices, while the agriculture department avers there is no drop in production.
Farmers in Palakkad, Alappuzha, Idukki, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur say vegetable prices are steady and the farm output is satisfactory.
Though rain and flood affected vegetable farming in Kuttanad area, the agriculture output has increased this time.
“Among the 12 vegetable markets in Alappuzha district, a few in Kuttanad were affected by rain. The farmers in the district have cultivated around 15 varieties of vegetables which have started flowing to the Onam market,” says Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) Alappuzha district manager S Sindhu.
Major vegetable cultivation areas are Venmani, Thazhakkara, Nooranad, Chriyanad, Kadakkarapally and Kanjikuzhy.
“We sold vegetables worth Rs 9 crore last year, and this year, we are confident of achieving income of Rs 15 crore,” she says.
Farmers in Palakkad are happy that the procurement price of bitter gourd, snake gourd and long beans are high. “Last year, we sold vegetables worth `15 crore and the target for this year is Rs 20 crore,” says VFPCK Palakkad district manager Bindumol Mathew.
Nenthran banana farmers in Thrissur and Palakkad said they have suffered losses due to rain. However, the scarcity has led to a spike in prices.
Meanwhile, cool season vegetable farmers in Kanthalloor and Vattavada complain of a steep decline in production due to rain failure.
While Kerala received heavy rain in July, rain shadow regions of Vattavada and Kanthalloor remained dry.
Horticorp, which procures cool season vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, carrot and potato from Vattavada and Kanthalloor, has not done so from the area, but procured 80 tonnes of vegetables from Devikulam.
“There has been steep decline in vegetable cultivation in Kanthalloor due to wildlife menace. Elephants, wild boar, deer and gaurs raid crops frequently. A few people cultivate garlic as wild animals do not eat them. Marginal farmers have stopped providing vegetables to Horticrop due to payment delays,” says P N Sukumaran, a farmer in the area.