Pokkali, a GI-tagged rice variety, could be on the verge of extinction
by Amalendu Jyotishi , Gummadi Sridevi , Kavya Sanjaya Traditionally, the coastal wetlands in many parts of India have been used for sequential paddy-fish cultivation under different forms of institutional structures. In Kerala it is called Pokkali. In the recent years there’s a decline in Pokkali cultivation. In this commentary, the authors interview the farmers who cultivate the unique variety of the GI-tagged Pokkali rice to understand the reasons for the decline in cultivation. A shortage of skilled labour, the lack of technology that suits a soggy soil, low crop prices and the disturbance to and encroachment of the marine and estuarine ecosystems are the main factors for the decline of this sustainable farming practice. The views in the commentary are that of the authors. Pokkali rice is a saline-tolerant, indigenous rice variety grown in the Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala. ...