Farmer Satisfaction with Government Incentives and Economic Viability of Paddy Cultivation: A Panchayat Level Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46610/JESFR.2026.v07i01.001Keywords:
Constraints, Economic viability, Farmer satisfaction, Incentives, Marketing constraint, Production constraint, Situational constraintAbstract
Kerala, which was well known for paddy cultivation in the past, is presently facing a severe mismatch between demand and supply. There is a drastic decline in paddy fields due to the conversion of paddy land for commercial purposes, which created food insecurity in the state. Government at various levels are promoting paddy cultivation by providing various incentives and initiatives to paddy farmers. Considering this background a protocol designed to analyse the attitude of rice farmers towards these incentives, the economic viability of paddy cultivation, and to list out the various constraints faced by cultivators. This study relies on primary data gathered from rice farmers of Mayyil Grama Panchayat of Kannur district of Kerala. It is revealed that paddy cultivation is not at all profitable for the majority of the farmers. Among the constraints, non availability of quality seeds, small size of holdings (production constraints) and uneven distribution of rainfall, non availability of labourers in peak time (situational constraint) dominates the scenario. There exists a significant difference in the satisfaction level of farmers with respect to various government incentives.
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