The Hindu

Udupi, Jul 11: Paddy farmers in Udupi district feel that they have been left in the lurch due to the increasing production cost, labour problem and lack of good price for the produce.

The problems faced by farmers can be gauged by the decline in the area under paddy cultivation in the district.

The net area under paddy cultivation in the district, which was 54,000 hectares in 1999-2000, came down to 51,600 hectares in 2006-07.

This despite the fact that paddy is the chief kharif crop in the district.

Rajeev Shetty, a farmer from Perdoor village in Udupi district, who has 7.28 acres of land, has been growing paddy for the last 30 years.

Nearly 20 years ago, he grew paddy in four acres of land.

However, now he grows it only in 1.5 acres of land. Mr. Shetty says, "I do not get good price for paddy. It is not financially viable."

Another farmer, B.V. Poojary, was cultivating paddy in 12 acres of land 10 years ago, now it has come down to two acres. Bhaskar Shetty, a farmer from Uchila, was cultivating paddy in seven acres of land 10 years ago, which has come down to two acres now.

Labour problem

Getting workers for paddy cultivation is not easy either. Rajeev Shetty says, "15 workers are required to plant paddy saplings, while 20 workers are required to cut them."

His wife, Revathi Shetty, says, "We now get workers aged above 50 years to do planting and cutting. The younger generation is no longer interested in agriculture."

Bhaskar Shetty said that he was getting workers from places such as Shimoga, Sorab and Haveri for planting and cutting purposes.

The (men) workers from other places, who were charging Rs. 100 to Rs. 120 a day, were now charging Rs. 150 a day to Rs. 180.

This increase in labour charges has hit paddy farmers.

Increasing cost

Increasing cultivation cost has affected the farmers. Fragmented land holdings have only added to this problem.

According to Bhaskar Shetty, if paddy cultivation has to be profitable, the cultivation cost should not go beyond Rs. 10,000 an acre of land.

Rajeev Shetty said that he had to spend Rs. 8,000 for cultivation, which included labour charges, cleaning and other charges.

He produces about 14 quintals of paddy in one acre of land.

"My cultivation cost is low because my wife Revathi and I are involved in agriculture," he said.

Poojary said that his cultivation cost went up to Rs. 10,000 an acre of land.

While big farmers use tractors and mechanised tillers for ploughing, small farmers still depend on cattle. Bhaskar Shetty grows 25 quintals to 30 quintals of paddy an acre of land. He follows organic farming and uses tractor for ploughing.

Farmers sell paddy grown by them to rice mill owners at a rate ranging between Rs. 580 a quintal to Rs. 640. These rice mill owners process it and sell it as rice to traders. Bhaskar Shetty says, "The Government should provide a support price of Rs. 650 a quintal, then things would brighten up for paddy farmers."

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture took up the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in 250 hectares in the district in 2006-07. The department claims that farmers following SRI have registered about 20 per cent increase in production. The department intends to increase area under SRI to 6,000 hectares in 2007-08.