While the production of rice (wetland) fell by 10.5% in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23, productivity and the area under cultivation fell by 4.9% and 5.9% respectively, according to the Economic Review 2024 tabled in the Assembly.

The Hindu Bureau.

The declining trend in rice cultivation in Kerala continued in 2023-24, with State-wide production, per-hectare productivity and the area under paddy decreasing over the previous fiscal, indicate agricultural data published in the latest Economic Review.

While the production of rice (wetland) fell by 10.5% in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23, productivity and the area under cultivation fell by 4.9% and 5.9% respectively, according to the Economic Review 2024 tabled in the Assembly on Friday.

By contrast, other food crops such as pulses, ragi, small millets, and sweet potato recorded increases in 2023-24 over 2022-23.

In 2023-24, the area under rice cultivation (wetland) fell to 1.78 lakh hectares from 1.90 lakh hectares, production from 5.92 lakh tonnes to 5.3 lakh tonnes and productivity from 3,117 kg per hectare to 2,963 kg.

Among the rice producing districts, Palakkad recorded the biggest production decline (22.1%) in the wetland category, the Economic Review says, citing data from the Economics and Statistics department. Palakkad stood first in area and production followed by Alappuzha. These two districts along with Thrissur and Kottayam accounted for 82.5% of the total rice production in Kerala that year.

On the bright side, production in Alappuzha, Kozhikode, and Kannur districts went up compared to 2022-23. Alappuzha had the highest increase, with production going up by 10,795.6 tonnes.

Season-wise data on rice show that the area under Mundakan (winter) crop increased while that of Virippu (autumn) and Puncha (summer) crops decreased in 2023-24. Seasonal production and productivity recorded decline in all the three seasons, according to the Economic Review.

Rice constituted 7.1% of the total cropped area in the State in 2023-24. In the last decade, the highest share of area under paddy was recorded in 2020-21 at 2 lakh hectares with a production of 6.3 lakh tonnes.

The Economic Review also notes that the gross irrigated area under paddy increased to 1.6 lakh hectares in 2023-24 from 1.53 lakh hectares in the previous fiscal.

Published Date: February 9, 2025