Farmers say extending fish culture will hit rice cultivation in pokkali fields

The move to extend the time period for fish and shrimp farming up to April 30 will severely affect rice cultivation in the pokkali fields, allege pokkali farmers in a petition to Kerala Governor.

The move to extend the time period for fish and shrimp farming up to April 30, under the guise of climate change conditions, will severely affect rice cultivation in the pokkali fields, alleged a statement issued by rice farmers here after they raised their apprehensions in a petition to the State Governor.

The rice farmers said that under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008, paddy cultivation is to be carried out in the pokkali fields between April 15 and November 14 in an yearly cycle. Fish culture is permitted only during the remaining five months of the year. If the cycle of cultivation is followed, it will be possible to drain the fields completely of salt water to prepare it for ploughing.

The first rains of the monsoon season completely rid the fields, formed into sowing mounds, of its salt content. The fields are then ready for sowing pokkali seeds as per the protocol set by Kerala Agricultural University. The success of rice cultivation depends on following the crop calendar, the rice farmers claimed.

There has been a campaign by the “fish lobby” that rice cultivation is financially unviable and extending the time for fish culture in the salt water fields is a victory for the fish farmers. The time for fish farming in the pokkali fields had been extended over the last three years - 2020, 2021 and 2022. These years have seen a failure of the rice crop.

The petition was submitted to the Governor by rice farmers Chandu Panjadiparambil, Phelomina Baby, Gasper Kalathingal, Sherly James, Lilly Joseph, M. C. Deepak and M. C. Dileesh of Chellanam.