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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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cultivati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> commercial crops. This is evidenced by the c<strong>on</strong>siderable decline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

almost 20 per cent in the area under sec<strong>on</strong>d crop (Mundakan) <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy in seven<br />

taluks comm<strong>and</strong>ed by major irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects during 1974-75 to 1986-87.<br />

Am<strong>on</strong>g the taluks, the highest decline reported was in Neyyattinkara taluk<br />

comm<strong>and</strong>ed by the Neyyar irrigati<strong>on</strong> project (46%), followed by Peechi in<br />

Thrissur (36 %), <strong>and</strong> Malampuzha project in Chittur (23 %). The major reas<strong>on</strong>s<br />

attributed <strong>for</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>versi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy fields are: a) lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>itability, b) n<strong>on</strong>availability<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> labour <strong>and</strong> high wage rates; c) n<strong>on</strong>-availability <strong>and</strong> scarcity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

water: d) water logging in the paddy fields; e) lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interest am<strong>on</strong>g the younger<br />

generati<strong>on</strong>s; <strong>and</strong> f) the declining operati<strong>on</strong>al size <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy fields.<br />

The l<strong>and</strong> utilisati<strong>on</strong> pattern as reported by the CADA in the ayacuts <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

completed irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects need further examinati<strong>on</strong> to arrive at realistic<br />

estimates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the current status. The CAD statistics has to be interpreted with<br />

cauti<strong>on</strong>. It is reported that 70 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the ayacut <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the completed irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

projects are under paddy, followed by coc<strong>on</strong>ut (47 %). But the ground realities<br />

are different. For example, the paddy area reported as irrigated included the gross<br />

area cultivated during the first. sec<strong>on</strong>d <strong>and</strong> third crop seas<strong>on</strong>s thus glvmg an<br />

impressi<strong>on</strong> that the decline is paddy area is not much. While irrigati<strong>on</strong> is required<br />

mostly <strong>for</strong> the sec<strong>on</strong>d <strong>and</strong> third crops <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> paddy, the first crop is also err<strong>on</strong>eously<br />

taken as canal irrigated. Thus, the gross area anticipated to be irrigated by the<br />

irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects is taken as actual irrigated area.<br />

Further. it is reported that the area under coc<strong>on</strong>ut <strong>and</strong> banana has<br />

increased in the completed, which may not be true in view <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the c<strong>on</strong>straints in<br />

technical design <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the projects, which do not allow irrigati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> other crops. To<br />

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