POKKALI

Agriculture Officers to (a) immediately contact all fallow farm owners and facilitate leasing of their farms to other willing genuine farmers for Pokkali Farming from 14-Apr to 14-Nov under mutually beneficial lease terms (b) create publicly accessible online maps and records of all active and fallow Pokkali farms with respective farm area ownership, contact and cultivation history details. These maps are currently non-existent or incomplete and adversely impacting Pokkali Farming revival.

Only handful of starred farms in the map below are being cultivated through to harvesting each year in Ezhikkara. Over 95% of farms are intentionally left fallow by farm owners and their Prawn Farmers (Kettukarans) with namesake sham cultivation guaranteeting crop loss to collect free government subsidies. Yellow markers reflect Center Padasekharam Farms and Blue markers reflect South Padasekharam Farms in Ezhikkara.

Krishi Bhavan Agriculture Officer Actions

• Create an online up-to-date map and record of all farms with location and area of fallow farms, farm ownership, sluice control ownership and update annually.
• Collaborate with Village Office, Panchayath and Padasekharam Secretary to identify ownership of F1, F2, F5 and faciliate timely approvals and draining of farms for F3 to commence farming starting April-14.
• Coordinate with MGNRE to allocate labor to revive fallow farm lands with Chera Vettal, Kilakkal, Unakkal, Vithakkal and Nirathhal work.
• Ensure all Sluice controlled Prawn farms are released for Pokkali farming by April-14
• Ensure Prawn farming is done with proper agreements and fisheries license.