Serious challenges to food security

Even as Kerala is facing serious challenges on food security with a rapidly widening gap between the requirement and production, the area under food crops has been falling sharply giving way to highly lucrative crops such as rubber, coconut and cocoa.

The State with an annual requirement of an estimated 38 - 40 lakh tonnes produces only around six lakh tonnes.

The highest ever production of rice was in 1971-72 — 13,76,370 tonnes of rice from 8,75,160 hectares. Since then there has been a regular drop in area and output, with the total area coming down to nearly one-fourth, 2,34,265 hectares in 2008 -09 and output 5,90,240 tonnes.

Shift to other crops

During the same time, the area under rubber has soared to 5,17,475 hectares (output of 7,83,485 tonnes) from 2,09,720 hectares (1,39,350 tonnes).

Following rise in the prices of cocoa, Kerala revived its cultivation and now contributes 78 per cent to national output.

More than two-thirds of the total cropped area of 27.02 lakh hectare were occupied by rice, coconut, tapioca, rubber, pepper, banana and cashew together in the beginning of the 80s, Dr K. Satheesh Babu, Professor and CCPI, Agricultural Marketing Intelligence Centre, Kerala Agriculture University told Business Line . Since then, the acreage under rice, tapioca and cashew has been declining continuously during the period, while that under coconut, rubber and banana is on the rise. The trend indicates the relative profitability of these crops brought about by the changing cost of cultivation . The wage structure coupled with non-availability of labour at critical farm operations compelled many farmers to switch over to less-labour intensive, perennial crops.

“The trend does not augur well from the food security point of view for Kerala, which has been chronically food deficit from the sixties onwards”, he said. “It is disheartening to note that paddy crop has lost acreage from 27.79 per cent to 8.69 per cent of the total cropped area, while tapioca has lost from 8.49 per cent to 3.24 per cent of total cropped area.

The public distribution system and the unrestricted inter-State food movement had helped it to meet the deficit in the past.

The drastic loss in acreage ratio of food crops may have long-term implications ”, Dr Satheesh said. The last State Economic Review also says that the areas used for cultivating paddy and other food crops have given way to highly lucrative crops such as rubber, coconut, cocoa etc. .

Over 85 per cent of the requirement of all the foodgrains/cereals, pulses, vegetables and other food items have to come from outside. Rising transportation cost coupled with demand push had raised their prices in the state substantially.

Tapioca (tuber crop) which was once a cheap staple food available at Rs 2 a kg and below is now sold at Rs 15 to 20 a kg.

Price of rice which was almost stagnant at Rs 13.42 a kg during the period 1999–2005 increased to Rs 19.76 a kg in 2008 and Rs 20.43 in 2009, Rs 22.83 in January 2010 and Rs 24 - 27 in January 2011.

In fact, there was a 44 per cent increase in rice price during 2007 – 2009. Rise in the prices of rubber, cardamom, cocoa, tea and coffee had raised the income of farmers substantially, especially rubber and cardamom growers.

Natural rubber prices had shot up to Rs 231 a kg at present from less than Rs 50 a few years ago. Average cardamom prices have been ruling above Rs 1,000 a kg for over year.

High income has pushed up the land prices also. One acre of rubber plantation in the remote areas is offered at Rs 40 lakh and above at present. In good accessible areas it is much higher, an estate owner in Pathanamthitta district claimed.

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