The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) has procured 23,354 tonnes of paddy from farmers in Alappuzha as the additional (second) crop season is nearing completion.
According to officials, harvest and procurement of the additional crop, except in one field in the Alappuzha municipal area, have been completed in the district. “The field in the Alappuzha municipal area will be harvested in the coming days. Around ₹40 crore has so far been disbursed to farmers as procurement price for the additional crop season,” said an official of Supplyco on Friday.
Lower yield
The yield is lower this time after the August floods destroyed the additional crop in around 3,500 hectares, a majority in Kuttanad. However, crop in around 5,300 hectares survived the floods. This was the third year in a row that the district suffered crop loss in the additional crop season. Last year, heavy rain caused bund breaches and flooding, destroying paddy in large tracts. In 2018, back-to-back floods had destroyed the additional crop in its entirety.
Delayed
Earlier, a delay in the procurement of the additional crop had put farmers in some distress. The issue was triggered after mills decided to keep away from paddy procurement as they failed to reach an agreement with the government over compensation for the procured paddy which got destroyed in the 2018 floods. Following this, the government decided to rope in cooperative societies to procure paddy directly from farmers. However, lack of storage and other facilities for the cooperative societies in the district resulted in a delay in the procurement. The impasse ended after an agreement was reached between Supplyco and mill owners by October end.
Sowing begins
Meanwhile, sowing for the ‘puncha’ season is progressing in the district. So far, paddy was sown in around 20,000 hectares, with another 7,000 hectares is expected to be brought under cultivation.
