Agrarian crises in Idukki cries for attention: High Range Samrakshana Samithi

Fr. Sebastian Kochupurackal of High Range Samrakshana Samithi urges political parties to address issues bedevilling the district

The agrarian crisis in the district should get due attention from the political parties, said Fr. Sebastian Kochupurackal, general convenor of the Idukki-based people’s movement High Range Samrakshana Samithi (HRSS), here on Tuesday.

Talking to The Hindu, Fr. Kochupurackal said that the agricultural sector had been undergoing a crisis in the district, which was further aggravated by the two floods that struck the State. This was worsened by drop in prices of cash crops and farmers moving out of the sector. Agriculture is the backbone of the district and other sectors such as dairy farming and industrial units engaged in the production of value-added products were also facing impediments, he pointed out.

Though the scenario can be addressed, when the issues are discussed, they are diverted for political mileage, he said, adding that the farmers’ community was unorganised, one reason why its requirements are not met. The drop in agricultural production for the past two decades should be addressed, even as the question of farmers leaving the sector needed to be looked into, Fr. Kochupurackal said.

“There are only small and marginal farmers in the district, in addition to some plantations. When the land does not provide a farmer a livelihood, he moves out,” he said, adding that though the special package for the district announced recently has some remedial measures, they are not realised in reality.

The prices of pepper and coffee have dipped and it has been nearly a decade since they had been below the remunerative level. Cardamom has fared better but the unstable prices hit it too. “When the average price falls from ₹4,000 a kg to ₹1,200 now, the security of the farmer is at stake. There should be a minimum price to protect farmers who are on the verge of abandoning the sector,” he said.

However, perhaps the most pressing issue that demanded immediate attention was constant invasions by wild animals into farm lands, he said.

On the electoral front, the HRSS put up a candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, who won with a good margin with the support of the LDF. In the 2015 local body elections, it had a number of representatives in the municipality of Kattappana and several grama panchayats in the high ranges. Ever since it moved out of the election scene, the HRSS has been active in consolidating the voice of settler farmers.

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