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Efforts to revive Kerala’s Pokkali farming seems to be gaining ground with the launch of machines to prepare the land.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Ernakulam) of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has introduced the machinery suitable for pokkali wetlands at Edavanakkad near here.
According to Shinoj Subramanian, Programme Coordinator, mechanisation of Pokkali fields is the need for the hour, as this unique saline rice farming in the coastal areas of Kerala is on the verge of extinction with a considerable reduction in cultivation.
KVK, which introduced the machine to a group of farmers, plans to train 15 women from each block panchayat where pokkali farming is practised and develop them into a mechanised Pokkali taskforce under the Kudumbashree programme, he said.
The operation cost of this garden tiller/mini tiller machine is ₹2,500 compared with ₹12,000 for a manual labourer. Moreover, it can make up for labour shortage as most of the skilled labourers are above 50 years of age, he said.
The Kendra has conducted extensive studies before launching the machine. KVK received funding from Mahila Kisan Sabha Pariyojana through the Kudumbashree Mission. The development of a harvesting machine for pokkali is also under the active consideration of KVK, he said.
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