This high altitude district is characterized by the cultivation of
perennial crops and spices. The major plantation crops include coffee,
tea, pepper, cardamom and rubber. Coffee based farming system is a notable
feature of Wayanad. Coffee is grown both as pure crop and as a mixed crop
along with pepper. Pepper is grown largely along with coffee in the
northeastern parts of the district, especially in Pulpally and Mullankolli
areas. Coffee in Wayanad (66,999 ha.) shares 33.65 percent of the total
cropped area in the district and 78 percent of the coffee area in the
state.
Other major crops
rubber (63,015 ha), coconut (59,452 ha), cardamom (38,348 ha), tea (31,792
ha) cassava and ginger. A recent increase in the area under coconut
cultivation is noticed in the lower elevations.
Paddy is cultivated in
22,772 hectares of land. The rice fields of Wayanad are in the valleys
formed by hillocks and in majority of paddy lands; only a single crop is
harvested. Ginger cultivation in Wayanad has also substantially increased
in recent times and the ginger produced is mainly marketed in the form of
green ginger. Homestead farming assumes importance in this district. The
average sizes of holdings are 0.68 ha. A variety of cropsincluding annuals
and perennials are grown in these smallholdings. The crops include
coconut, arecanut, pepper, vegetables, tuber crops, drumstic, papaya, etc.
And fruit trees like mango and jack.
The crop patterns /
crop combinations prevalent in this district are not based on any
scientific norms. Therefore scientific cropping patterns suitable for the
agro-ecological situation is to be recommended.
Marketing of
Agricultural Produce
The marketing of
coffee was fully regulated by the Coffee Board till 1992 and the entire
coffee grown in the district had to be pooled to the Board. But in the
Coffee Policy of 1995-96, the Government exempted small-scale growers
possessing land less than 10 hectares from the obligation of pooling.
Those growers with more than 10 hectares of coffee plantation were obliged
to provide 60 percent of their produces to the Coffee Board. But
Government of India recently announced the abolition of the pooling system
for coffee altogether from 14th September 1996 and coffee growers are now
free to market either in the domestic market or export.
Pepper is marketed mainly as dried
berries. The different agencies engaged in the marketing of the produce
are hill produce merchants, marketing societies, commition agents and
exporters. Being an export-oriented commodity, pepper prices show frequent
fluctuations depending on the international prices prevailing for the
commodity from time to time. Ginger is mainly marketed as green ginger.
Cardamom is sold at auction centres. The traders are licensed by the
Spices Board and they participate in the different marketing centres for
auction. Rubber is a controlled commodity and is mainly marketed in the
form of smoked rubber sheets. A large number of private dealers as well as
the primary rubber marketing societies under the Rubber Marketing
Federation operate at the village level for the purchase and sale of the
commodity.
Wayanad has 25 agricultural units known
as Krishi Bhavans. Each unit is under the charge of an Agricultural
officer and 2 or 3 Agricultural assistants. There is also a farm of the
Tribal Development Department known as Cheengeri Extention Scheme,
Ambalavayal and it is managed by the Agricultural Department. The office
of the Principal Agricultural Officer is located at Kalpetta with six
Deputy Directors, 2 Assistant Directors, 1 Technical assistant and 1
Principal Agricultural Officer (Joint director of Agriculture) who
co-ordinates the schemes executed in the district by Department of
Agriculture.
There are also three block level
offices; each headed by one Assistant Director of Agriculture to
co-ordinate the schemes being implemented in their respective blocks.
