Demand to withdraw licence for fish farming in pokkali fields

Harvest of about 3.5 acres pending, says Maruvakkad Paddy Collective

Pokkali rice farmers in Chellanam’s Maruvakkad Paddy Collective have demanded that the fish farming licence issued by the Fisheries Department be immediately withdrawn to allow harvest of about 3.5 acres of fields in the 435-acre paddy collective so that at least seed conservation for the next season can take place.

The Pokkali Samrakshana Samithy, engaged in conservation and propagation of the unique rice variety which is salt-resistant and cultivated without synthetic fertilisers, alleged that the fish farming licence was against existing regulations and it should immediately be withdrawn to allow farmer Chandu Manjadiparambil to reap the ready-to-harvest crop. The Samithy also alleged that the fish farming lobby had opened the sluice gates to allow brackish water to flood the fields on the basis of the licence it had been issued.

A spokesman for the Maruvakkad Paddy Collective said the sluice gates were not opened by paddy collective owners or fish farmers and that the fields were flooded by rainwater and the water in the fields was not salty. The spokesperson also claimed that the Pokkali Padshekara Samithy had always encouraged Pokkali rice farming.