Nowadays there is no paddy field-related work. I plant tapiocas, banana trees, and cowpeas in existing paddy fields." - Mary Thoman, 60s, agricultural labourer, Kannankuzhisherry, 2023
History of Paddy Cultivation
Paddy was widely cultivated as a major food crop in Kerala according to Manipravalam literature. However, paddy cultivation was fraught with difficulties in the state and was scattered among hills and mountains. The landscape of Kerala is such that we do not have enormous, flat tracts of paddy fields like in other states. Archaeologist Jenee Peter says that most of the paddy fields in Kerala are old river beds, accounting for their undulating shape.
From the time of the Perumals there have been efforts to cultivate paddy in different ecological conditions because of this scarcity of rice.” - Raghava Varier, Historian, 2014
Travellers over a millenia have remarked that paddy fields in Kerala were not very fertile. From the 19th century, paddy cultivation was not enough to sustain the consumption in Kerala. By the same time, people realised it was more profitable to grow coconut rather than paddy. This became such a crisis that the Travancore government had to prohibit those cultivating the Maharaja’s personal lands from converting paddy fields into coconut groves. A generation ago paddy fields used to dot the countryside. Not anymore. A decline in paddy cultivation and large areas lying fallow are a fairly common sight today.
Paid with Paddy
“I have heard that during the time of my grandmother, they used to be paid in the form of paddy (unprocessed rice). There was a measuring vessel called edangazhi. Two–three edangazhis of paddy were given for one day’s work. If they had worked till the afternoon, then they would get one edangazhi. The workers would hold out their nadan mundu (cloth tied around the head), and the paddy would be poured into it and brought home. This paddy would either be boiled, dried, and made into gruel or given to shops in exchange for cash. The cash was used to buy things needed for a household, like meat, fish, milk, and other items. If a family had 50 to 100 kg (earlier measured in para), they would sell it to rice mills.”- Mary Thoman, agricultural labourer, Kannankuzhisherry, 2023
Types of Cultivation
Due to wide-ranging soil conditions and the differing availability of water resources, different types of paddy cultivation existed in Kerala.
Kaipad Fields: These are fields in areas like Kattampally in Kannur district, where paddy is cultivated in fields filled with saline water.
Pokkali Fields: Found in the Kochi area, farmers alternate the cultivation of prawn with paddy cultivation in these fields.
Kole Fields: Located in Thrissur and Ponnani, these fields lie in low-lying areas prone to flooding, and the agricultural practices are adapted to these conditions.
There were also other kinds of systems followed in Meppayar fields in Kozhikode, known for their traditional methods, and Kabani fields in Wayanad adapted to the local geographical and ecological features.
There was a variety of rice that was cultivated on high ground. This variety, called karanellu, could be sown directly on land without submerging in water.”- Vasudevan Namboothiri, 70s, Puliyanam, 2023
Process
“In my childhood, there used to be three paddy harvests a year. We would plant the seeds in mud in a section of the paddy field and wait for the seedlings to emerge. Once they are about six inches tall, we pull them out and tie a few together into a bundle. This transplanting work takes a day. The next day, the bundles are planted in the field. We start work from one edge and go down the length of the muddy field. When the plants grow, we maintain the water and add fertiliser. We remove the weeds growing in the field a number of times. Another round of fertiliser is added sometimes. In three months, the plant would be ready for harvest. When the rice appears, the panicles will bend down with the weight of the rice.”- Mary Thoman, agricultural labourer, Kannankuzhisherry, 2023
Paddy can be cultivated three times a year. Virippu (autumn), mundakan (winter), and punja (summer) crops are the three seasonal cultivations. Not all fields can be cultivated three times a year. Single season cultivation is done in those areas that receive heavy rainfall and are in danger of inundation due to the land form. Traditionally, mundakan fields in midlands were used mostly for single season cultivation.
Rice Varieties
Unnineeli Sandesam, a 14th-century poem, mentions several varieties of rice being sold in the region: kuruva, chennellu, pongalli, aanakodan, chozhan, kaadan, modan, killiyara, and veeravithan. Historian K.N. Ganeshan says that in Ernakulam district alone there were 66 varieties of rice in cultivation, all of which are no longer in use. Each of the three seasons of cultivation used a different variety. With the availability of high-yielding varieties, the older paddy seed diversity has disappeared.
The earlier seeds were varieties like Aryan. Later, IR-8 came, and we tried cultivating it in the ’60s. The cooked rice was not palatable; it was too sticky. Then there was the variety called Jyothi, which lasted for a long time. The yield was high for that variety, and the rice was also tasty. Today rice varities are advertised, like in the case of Pokkali rice. Earlier people did not eat this variety of rice regularly.” - Vasudevan Namboothiri, Puliyanam, 2023
Land Reforms
After the state of Kerala was formed, the area under paddy cultivation increased quite a bit, from 7,60,000 hectares in 1955–56 to 8,80,000 hectares in 1970–71. Around 1965–66, rice was the most important crop in Kerala. It covered about 32% of all the land where crops were grown. From the 1980s, paddy fields began shrinking.The agrarian labourers were given 4–10 cents of land around their hutment dwellings, and large tracts of land were taken away from the landowning families. The breaking up of the plots of paddy following the land reforms made them less profitable.
If we get a minimum of 35 quintals for one acre of land, we can make some profit. Since the land is ours, the earning is our own. It is not the same for those who take land on lease because they must give the landowner the pattom (lease) amount. Agriculture just provides subsistence. A ₹50,000 profit will go towards the house, it will not cover other expenses like medicines or marriage.”- Tessy Sibi, 54, farmer, Muttar, 2024
Government Support
Padasekhara Samitis—groups of paddy farmers—emerged due to government initiatives from the 1980s. Krishi Bhavans provide seeds and fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates through these collectives. A major shift in focus followed a period of distress in the early 2000s, marked by a surge in farmer suicides, showing that the profitability of paddy cultivation in Kerala hinges significantly on the prices they receive for their crops.
When the rice has been harvested Supplyco officials measure the water content in the paddy. The weight of the rice is calculated accordingly, and the price is fixed. Supplyco takes the paddy from all the adjoining plots."- Tessy Sibi, Muttar, 2024
Challenges
“It takes days to transplant the paddy and maintain the fields. We do not have enough workers for this in our village. So, we have planted tapioca and engaged Tamil workers, who complete the farmwork including the digging of the fertiliser pit in 2-3 days. I do the regular maintance myself."- Mary, Kannankuzhisherry, 2023
Some farmers do not have to rely on a motor and labour to bring water to their field. The piece of wood, like in this water channel is enough to divert water into a small paddy field. Labour is also needed for applying weedicides and pesticides. “The paddy will look wilted and yellowish if infected with pein (a bug). After a month of being planted, it might contract churuttu (leaf curl). Most of the time, we apply these as and when required." - Tessy, Muttar, 2024
In the past, during harvests and other times when more labour was needed, local workers engaged in other jobs helped. “I used to go for the harvest in fields near Panangad. Some people and communities did that kind of work regularly. We would go when needed. The remuneration was in the form of cash.” - Mani Narayanan, 70, housemaid, Panangad, Ernakulam, 2023.
Lands in Muttar, Alappuzha are affected by floods periodically. Labour costs and finding storage space for the hay are problematic at present. “Earlier, when the hay was processed and sold, we used to get enough money to buy tea and snacks for the women labourers. Now, people from Tamilnadu come and take the hay away as rolls. They do not pay us anything.”- Tessy Sibi, Muttar, 2024
Tessy Sibi, farmer from Muttar, has tabulated the money spend on hiring machinery and labour. Instead of buying expensive machines themselves, farmers often rent them from panchayats or private sources.
Since the 1980s, large tracts of paddy fields have been lying fallow, or been replanted with bananas, rubber, or coconut. Many fields have also been converted into residential and commercial plots. Since land prices have gone up as a result of the Gulf boom, land has become a speculative asset.
Palakkad and Alappuzha are the primary paddy-growing areas in Kerala, yet the majority of modern rice mills in the state are clustered in the Ernakulam district. Private rice mills frequently operate as cartels, wielding substantial influence over the prices offered to farmers for paddy." - Jayan Jose Thomas, researcher, 2011
Paddy Positives
Justin, who has taken a paddy field on lease at Purapuzha with a partner, gives one-third of the produce to the elderly couple who own the land. Justin uses the rice for consumption and not for sale. So, for him, the by-products are a plus. His main source of income is the rubber estate he inherited from his father. He also works as a full-time driver. Justin can maintain the cultivation because of the various incentives offered by the government.
"Working in the kandam feels like a blessing (aiswaryam). Walking into the field early in the morning at 6–6:30, and breathing in the fresh air is an experience like no other." - Justin, Purapuzha, 2024
Future Steps
The use of chemical products in paddy cultivation is very high, sometimes, preventing the planting of replacement crops. Drawing attention to the need to increase the use of organic materials like crop residues, animal residues, legumes, and bio-pesticides to maintain soil productivity and fertility. Crop rotation, mixed farming, and bio-intensive pest management are not followed on many paddy fields due to a lack of awareness about the larger ecological impact.
