Constraints in paddy cultivation faced by the farmers in upper Kuttanad: A study in Alappuzha district of Kerala

Alappuzha holds the second position with respect to area, production and productivity of rice in Kerala. The Kuttand region, where rice farming is practiced below mean sea level is called the “Rice bowl of Kerala”. For studying the constraints faced by the farmers in the region a survey was conducted in the upper Kuttand region. The study was based on the primary data collected from 25 each paddy farmers cultivating in salt water affected and unaffected areas from the Haripad block of Alappuzha district of Kerala. Garrett’s ranking method was used for the constraint analysis. Weed problem was the major constraint faced by most of the farmers from the salt water unaffected areas followed by the scarcity of hired labour. In the case of salt water affected farmers, the major constraint was the salt water intrusion, followed by decrease in quality of paddy due to salinity.