Kerala has been consistently doing well in paddy cultivation in the last few years despite nature spoiling crops in the way of incessant rains and pest attack.
As per the latest data released by Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Kottayam has registered a paddy production of 1595 tonnes in winter farming season in 2021-22 out of the total production of 1825 tonnes registered in the state. In fact, Kottayam is miles ahead of Palakkad, which is traditionally known for paddy cultivation.
The data shows that Kottayam had the largest area of 841.82 hectares of paddy filed under cultivation during the winter season followed by Palakkad with 61.9 hectares, Thrissur (12.84 hectares) and Alappuzha (8.19 hectares). Officials said the state could produce a total of 1825.02 tonnes of paddy in the winter season, helping the state to reduce its dependence on Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for rice.
“This is a positive sign. Dwindling profitability and rising input costs have forced many to give up paddy cultivation earlier. But of late, many people are coming forward to do scientific cultivation of paddy,” said a senior agricultural officer. In Kerala, cash crops like rubber, pepper, coconut, cardamom, cashew, tea and coffee constitute around 70 percent of the food production.
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