Distressed farmers leave the plough

V.P. Sivapragasam Akkaraipattu group corr.

Nearly 4,000 acres of fertile agricultural land within the limits of the Thambilubil Agrarian Services Centre (ASC) under the Agrarian Services Department have been left uncultivated due to several reasons. These lands regularly cultivated with paddy, maize, kurakkan, ground-nuts and manioc remain fallow mainly due to discouraging attitudes of officials and lack of funds, farmers said.

Farmers told the Daily News that they could not cultivate their lands chiefly due to the disinterestedness of the officials in the co-operative sector, Divisional Secretariat, Bank and Land Development Department. The crux of the problem is credit which is not readily available. The inability to obtain capital is another major reason.

"The Co-operative Society has abdicated its duty, and we, the members do not get their services." said a Member of the Akkaraipattu South MPCS. Another complained that the Co-operative Society did not purchase a single grain of paddy from the producers during the Yala season this year.

Thus, the co-operative sector intended to help the producer and the country has defaulted and no one seems to be interested either in the welfare of the paddy producer or the country. "This is one reason why we have not cultivated our lands," said another. We sought the assistance of traders to market our produce, we got inputs and capital from the traders. Traders benefitted more than the producers, the farmers complained.

Peasants occupying land for paddy cultivation for over four decades are called 'encroachers', they said.

Referring to hardships in transporting their produce, the farmers said a bridge was proposed over the Periyakalappu lake at Munai. As early as 1954, the bridge over the lake was planned by the Gal-Oya Development Board to link 9,000 acres of paddy land with villages around the lake. However, the plan has not been implemented compelling the farmers to take a long route covering 12 miles, when the distance between the farm land and the village is barely one mile.