Kerala Agriculture Minister has rejected the Centre’s advisory asking the state to discontinue incentives for rice cultivation, asserting that such support is essential to protect farmers’ livelihoods and ensure food security in a state with limited cultivable land.
Responding to the Union government’s communication, the minister said Kerala cannot afford to withdraw incentives for paddy farmers, as rice cultivation plays a critical role in sustaining rural incomes and maintaining ecological balance. He argued that the Centre’s one-size-fits-all approach does not adequately account for Kerala’s unique agricultural conditions, including small landholdings, high input costs, and dependence on food imports.
The Centre had reportedly advised Kerala to stop providing incentives on the grounds that they may distort market mechanisms and overlap with central schemes. However, the state government maintains that its support measures are designed to compensate farmers for rising production costs and to prevent the steady decline of paddy fields, which have been shrinking over the years due to urbanisation and low profitability.
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Kerala has long struggled with declining rice production, despite rice being a staple food for its population. Successive state governments have introduced incentives, minimum support measures, and procurement mechanisms to encourage farmers to continue paddy cultivation and reduce reliance on imports from other states.
The minister stressed that agriculture is a state subject under the Constitution and that Kerala has the right to frame policies suited to local needs. He added that withdrawing incentives could discourage farmers from cultivating paddy, potentially worsening food insecurity and impacting employment in rural areas.
The disagreement highlights ongoing tensions between the Centre and states over agricultural policy and funding priorities. While the Union government has pushed for rationalisation of subsidies, Kerala insists that continued incentives for rice cultivation are necessary to safeguard farmers, preserve farmland, and maintain a degree of self-reliance in food production.
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