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K.G. Kumar

A special agricultural zone status for Kuttanad and the new focus on its rejuvenation will help the now-weakened heart of Kerala's agricultural sector beat with fresh vigour once more.

Last week, the Swaminathan Commission appointed by the Centre to study the problems of various districts facing agricultural distress recommended a Rs 1,750-crore package to improve the conditions of farmers in the Kuttanad region, the erstwhile rice bowl of Kerala, which, in its heyday about a quarter century ago, accounted for over one-third of the State's total rice production.

The Commission chairman and noted agricultural scientist, Dr M.S. Swaminathan, said that three broad categories of activities have been identified for funding - agricultural revival, environmental rehabilitation and livelihood enhancement.

As much as Rs 1,208 crore would go for agricultural revival, Rs 323 crore for ecological rehabilitation of the area and the remaining amount for schemes will be for enhancing the livelihood of farmers.

SAZ STATUS

More importantly, Dr Swaminathan suggested that the Kuttanad region be declared a special agricultural zone (SAZ), along the lines of the country's special economic zones (SEZs), so that an integrated plan could be worked out to enhance the status of the people and the environment of the area.

The Commission believes that SAZs are apt for those areas where agriculture, both as a way of life and as a means of livelihood, should be preserved, by blending traditional wisdom and modern technology.

Kuttanad is an ideal candidate for such a zone and such measures would help restore its past glory. Some of the urgent tasks identified by the Committee for the region include repair and maintenance of the Thottapally spillway, deepening of the eastern and western side of the leading canal, strengthening the outer bund flanking the leading canal, and repair and completion of the Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) canal.

FARM TOURISM

Also mooted are plans for "farm tourism", exploiting the fact that Kuttanad was the only place in the world where paddy was cultivated below sea level. "`With several areas expected to go below the sea in another 100 years, there are a large number of lessons Kuttanad can offer to the world,'' Dr Swaminathan told reporters in Alappuzha some time ago.

The creation of a Kuttanad Water Tourism Promotion Society for Health and Happiness, with its members enforcing a code of conduct to prevent water pollution, promotion of integrated fish and coconut farming systems, is also part of the plan.

The focus on sustainable fisheries in the rice-fish farming system of Kuttanad, and the establishment of fish sanctuaries, fish farms and cage-culture units could arrest the rapidly declining diversity of the species, Dr Swaminathan said.

WORLD WETLANDS DAY

This thinking is in line with this year's slogan for the World Wetlands Day, `Fish for Tomorrow: Wetlands Support Fisheries, Keep Them Clean', which emphasises the crucial connections between wetlands and fisheries.

World Wetlands Day, celebrated each year on 2 February, marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty, which provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. In Kerala, the Ashtamudi Lake, the Sasthamkota Lake and the Vembanad Lake are Ramsar Sites.

The theme for this year's World Wetlands Day recognises the importance of fish and fisheries to all people around the world.

The declaration of SAZ status for Kuttanad and the renewed focus on its rejuvenation will help the now-weakened heart of Kerala's agricultural sector beat with fresh vigour once more.

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

More Stories on : Cultivation | Random Walk | Kerala

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