Udupi: Paddy Cultivation Picks up Momentum across Coastal Districts
Pics: Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)
Udupi, Jun 22: Paddy cultivation in the plains across the coastal districts has picked up momentum owing to the satisfactory rains the region has been receiving since the past few weeks.
The peasants here are happy that the monsoon started around the time they were expecting it and got themselves busy with agricultural activities as soon as the rains began lashing the region. The people were a little worried as the rains played truant for a few days after a brief beginning in the first week of June. The traditional method of ploughing where oxen and buffaloes are involved, has given way to tractors and tillers at most of the places. Family members of agriculturists and agricultural labourers are increasingly found engaged in most of the paddy fields located on plains across the districts now.
Meanwhile, the total rain fall during this year till now, as compared to the same month last year, is short by about 40 per cent. This shortfall has posed a problem to paddy cultivation in the coastal districts.
The paddy seeds were planted and seedlings were grown ahead of the arrival of the monsoon, duly irrigating the fields with water pumped from the local rivulets and ponds in the plains and surrounding areas of Kaup, Pangala, Katpady and Shirva in Udupi district, with the hope that monsoon would arrive in time. However, the monsoon arrived a little late, and the seedlings that were as yet tender, were facing the prospect of withering. Meanwhile, freshly arrived rains rejuvenated the crops and helped them grow stronger.
The paddy cultivation in the coastal districts has been on a decline over the last several years even though this activity in the past used to sustain thousands of peasant families. The lands increasingly been encroached upon for construction activity, proposed setting up of heavy industries, rural youth getting lured by urban life style etc., have contributed to the decline in paddy cultivation.
Traditional method of ploughing steadily declining:
Modernity has invaded every sphere of rural life including ploughing methods. Latest models of tillers are being used across the districts, while the traditional method of ploughing the paddy fields with the help of oxen or buffaloes is rarely found, as the rural youths are not keen on pursuing the age-old methods of farming. The community farming that thrived till the recent past, has already made an exit, since the services of tillers are now rented on hourly wage basis.
Now-a-days, rarely one finds the agriculturists keeping oxen and buffaloes for the purpose of agricultural. However, farmers whose holdings are tiny and scattered, find it hard to maneuver the tillers in their fields, are forced to rear these animals out of necessity. Nonetheless, majority of peasants borrow tillers on hourly basis and complete the tilling in their fields for planting the seedlings.
Farm-hands are dearer:
The services of farm-hands have become dearer, since paddy cultivation engages the entire peasant community as it rained steadily after a lull a few days ago. The peasants are found rushing to market centres across the district, to bargain with the farm-hands available there on wages and engage them to work in their paddy fields.
The paddy cultivation in the hill areas will also pick up momentum, once the incessant rains steadily soften the paddy fields there, allowing the farmers to begin plowing them. However, the rains received so far does not seem to be enough as yet to irrigate the paddy fields located on elevated areas!