CHANGANACHERRY (UCAN): “It is heartbreaking to see the waterlogged paddy fields and hear the cries for help from the farmers,” said Archbishop Joseph Perumthottam of Changanacherry after visiting rice farmers in Kuttanad, Kerala, India, who lost their crops to unseasonal rains.
He said on April 12 that unless the government took immediate steps to help, it will not be possible for them to survive. “Mere assurances would not help them at this juncture,” Archbishop Perumthottam said.
Kuttanad, known as the rice bowl of Kerala, has witnessed torrential rains accompanied by heavy winds that flattened mature paddy fields during the first part of April.
“Our initial estimate is that more than 70 per cent of the 26,000 hectares under paddy cultivation were destroyed by the rain and wind,” said Father Thomas Kulathumkal, secretary of the Changanacherry Social Service Society.
“Our teams, including the archbishop, are out in the field to console the farmers who lost their paddy crops and also to take stock of the losses,” Father Kulathumkal said on April 13. Teams from the archdiocese were also distributing food packets in the worst affected areas where families lost everything, he said.
Father Kulathumkal expressed regret at the reported suicide of middle-aged farmer Rajeev, who lost his crop, and appealed to farmers not to lose hope and take such extreme steps.
Meanwhile, opposition Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee leader, Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, blamed the suicide on the state government’s apathy towards farmers’ conditions.
He said the rains in summer had “destroyed nine acres of paddy but the compensation he [Rajeev] received was a mere 2,500 rupees [$258],” which is a meagre sum.
Sudhakaran further warned that “a majority of the paddy farmers in Kuttanad are on the verge of suicide.” He urged the government to procure the damaged paddy and to help them with adequate compensation.
Father Kulathumkal said the archdiocese was doing its best to extend help to the affected farmers despite many constraints. The 2018 floods followed by the Covid-19 pandemic had ravaged Kuttanad and also put a strain on relief efforts.
“We are still trying our best to mobilise resources to support the worst affected,” he said.
