KOZHIKODE: April proved to be the most cruel month for the agrarian Wayanad district. The agricultural department, in its primary assessment, pegged the loss at Rs 35 crore. This is the second most devastating drought in its history, with the first being in 2004. The loss may rise many times if the drought conditions persist, agricultural officers warned.
In the Pulppalli and Mullankolly panchayats on the banks of River Kabani, close to Karnataka border, the pepper vines and even strong crops like coffee have started wilting under the scorching sun. Farmers lament that earlier they used to irrigate the farms, but now there is no water even to drink.
Wayanad district principal agricultural officer V.M. Noorjahan told this newspaper that the department has completed only a primary assessment of the crop loss based on the data collected from 26 Krishi Bhavans of the district. “We will be collecting detailed crop loss report and application for compensation from each affected farmer soon,” she said.
It may to be recalled that the crops of Pulppalli and Mullankolly panchayats of the district, once known as the pepper baskets of Wayanad, were entirely charred to nil during the drought that hit the district in 2004. Pepper crops in these two panchayats are the most affected this year, followed by banana farms.
The total loss for pepper in the district this year is Rs 2.83 crore. According to the data from the agriculture department, the total estimated loss for 404 banana farmers of the district is Rs 2.13 crore. Overall, 97,000 banana plants on 38 hectare land was damaged.
K.R. Satheesan Nair, a farmer from Pulppalli told this newspaper that the most reliable water source of the region, River Kabani, a tributary of River Cauvery, had dried up a few weeks back. “We used to start farming early April as we always received sufficient rains by middle of the month,” he added. “The saddest part is that even in the last days of April there is no sign of rain,” they said.
